Fatal Instinct: Mission 2
by Thunderxtw
Summary: The Lightning Scarlet Anna Williams returns to tackle her next big assignment, but the task proves to be more difficult than she expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Howdy everyone. I'm back! I'm long overdue for this new story. My apologies. My grandfather had just passed away recently and I have had a hard time coping with it since. Anyway, I promised a sequel and now here it is. I loved the first one so much, I couldn't help but continue it. Take note that you may have to go back and read the first story to understand some things, including the characters. I also notice some of you might have missed me posting the last chapter to the first one(Perhaps I updated too quick). So if you have not already read it, I suggest you go do that now. As always I hope you guys enjoy.

**Secondary Notes: **Since this is a sequel, it is very much like the first. Not everything is totally canon, so you could consider this a bit of an Alternate Universe fic (AU).

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**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 1_**

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They sat as a trio in a circle, Bruce and Ganryu cross-legged while Anna knelt along the plush, carpet. Ganryu placed the self-made cake on the round table in front them, a candle burning with the smallest of flames planted at the top.

"Happy Birthday, my beautiful Irish friend!" The husky sumo wrestler chirped, clapping his hands together in excitement.

Anna smiled a little, proud of the amount of work he had devoted to this special cake, her cake. Its small size and donut shaped design added with swirls of light frosting were perfect. Not to mention it was chocolate: one of her favorites. Ganryu never failed to impress.

However, despite his effort, she was unsure how to feel right now. On one hand, she was happy to celebrate her birthday with two of her closest friends. On the other, this moment had also struck her with depression, enough to bring her to tears though she kept them suppressed.

Her father Richard treated her older sibling Nina like a princess on her birthday, but with Anna it was not the same. Every year she had no one to share it with but her mother, a well experienced aikido champion. Aside from that, she still desired her father's attention, though she got little of it when Nina was involved.

Things were different now though, but she still found it hard to disregard, as it flooded into her mind every now and then like a haunting dream. She had painted her lips with the lightest bit of makeup, got dressed up, had a manicure, and even had her hair styled just for this day. Yet, as alluring as she felt, it did little to quell the emotions surging through her mind.

"Something wrong?" Bruce asked in his signature masculine tone, giving her a sideways glance, arms folded about his chest. He must have noticed her grieving of the memories, but with his blank expression, she could not be sure.

"Ah… no…it's nothing." Her lips flashed a forced smile before her eyes lowered to the cake in front, nostrils taking in the delicious scent of icing and fudge. She did her best to keep her thoughts positive, meeting with minimal success.

"Make a wish, Anna." Ganryu insisted, giving her a friendly pat on the back.

She closed her eyes and once the wish was clear, she pursed her lips together and blew out the lone candle. After the swirling smoke evaporated, Ganryu started cutting the cake into individual slices for each of them.

"What, no birthday song or presents?" Anna asked shaking out of her depression, feigning a look of disappointment at both the men at her sides.

"I don't do songs." came Bruce's distinct refusal in a cold mutter. "But I got you a gift."

A box wrapped in red paper tied down with gold lace and ribbon slid under Anna's arms before she could react. "Open mine first, Anna." The sumo wrestler requested with a pleading puppy dog gaze she could not turn down. Shaking the box, she found out whatever was inside was light, incapable of making sound to clue her in on what it could be.

Her hands were hesitant with anticipation before they began tearing and removing the covers to reveal the contents inside. She gasped, eyes broadening with a smile to pull out a long, red wide sleeved robe adored with Japanese symbols.

"It's a kimono." He clarified, though she knew that already. "A beautiful woman should always have one, especially one that loves Asian culture. I was going to give it to my dear, sweet Julia, but she usually turns my gifts down, so I'm giving it to you." Ganryu took it from her grasp, the gentle weight of the robe resting on her shoulders, a warm yet perfect fit.

"It's…gorgeous." Anna said in a murmur, almost speechless as she spun around flaunting her new apparel in front of a full size mirror. Moments like this she preferred to have although they were often rare. Even if it was a little of something, it was the thought that counted.

Bruce's gift was next as he handed it over from a concealment of pillowcases. Anna tore it open faster than a giddy child did on Christmas morning. She gasped again, peeking through the ripped material. "Ohhh…"

Bruce smirked at her expression. "Heard you were a real china freak. Figured those dishs would go nice with your kitchen table."

"Me next! Me next!" His niece Elisa jumped on Anna's shoulders, surprising her with a hug from behind.

Anna took her gift and did the same as the others. "Awww." She held up the piece of clothing by the sleeves for everyone to see. "What an adorable looking sweater. Thanks, sweetie. This will look great on me in the winter."

"Heh." Bruce sneered. "You guys should be thanking me. I just gave you punks a free meal in my own home. I should at least get something in exchange, especially with the mess I'm going to have to clean up afterwards."

Anna leaned forth and settled a kiss at his cheek, giggling afterward. "How's that?"

He froze, then smirked. "Fair enough."

"I'm curious, though." He continued. "When are some of the hard working men like myself gonna get their share?"

"Oh. Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be sure to do something **special** on your birthday." She gave a wink to keep him assured.

"What? You gonna give me a lap dance or something? Tempting, but no thanks, kid."

"As much as you like to fantasize about it, the answer is no," came her flat reply.

"Isn't it great how we're spending time together after so long? Just us, the three musketeers." Such words were true from Ganryu. It had been a while since the three of them last did anything together, much less talked like this. Of course, each of them had their own separate lives, so that might have had something to do with it too. Ganryu had his sumo stable, Bruce had his survival school, and she had her 'jobs' to carry out.

Anna put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, admiring the claim. "Guess I'm the female D'Artagnan."

Bruce went back to reading the newspaper as he unfolded it at his side. "Ganryu can play the role of a female musketeer too, you know. He's got the bust for it. All he needs is a bra and he'll be set."

The sumo wrestler shot the man across from him a vexed glare. "Not funny." He said, noticing they had found the comment rather humorous. He was often the butt of every joke, but in the end, he knew it was all in good fun and did not take offense. Besides, they all teased each other about something, so it was fair game.

"Actually, it is." Anna grinned in agreement with her American friend; it was amazing he was joking around, showing a different side of him not seen so much. He was serious about everything half the time, but perhaps time away from his former life had brought out a change within him.

"Yeah, Ganryu." Bruce smiled a little. "You even got bigger knockers than Anna here."

Anna continued to laugh, giving Bruce a playful punch on the arm in retaliation for the remark. Then she glanced at her watch and stood up to find her shoes by the door. "Well, I better go. Don't wanna hold you up, Bruce. I'll leave my stuff here and come get it later. Nice seeing you two again. And thanks for the gifts."

Bruce nodded and sat up. "Yeah. I gotta drop Elisa off at the babysitter's anyway. Then I got some errands I gotta go run." He glanced at the newspaper he had been holding. "Oh, look at what it says here on the front page. 'Heihachi Mishima reclaims Zaibatsu.' Jeez, how old is he already? Shouldn't he have died by now?"

"So the old man is back in charge." Anna mused aloud, wondering about Kazuya's whereabouts. No doubt he would return in some way to try to reclaim the Zaibatsu; yet, for the past several days since her battle with him, things had been peaceful.

"Can't I stay with Miss Williams instead?" Elisa asked Bruce in a mournful whimper, clinging to Anna's thigh. "I'm sure she wont mind."

The woman chuckled at the request, taking hold of his niece's hands and rubbing them with gentle strokes. "I'd love to watch you, sweetie. But I got things to do. Maybe another time."

She mirrored the little girl's disappointed pout as she exited, debating on how she would make it up to her. The child had only knew Anna for a short time, but idolized her since the day they met. The bond straightened between them whenever they snuck out to practice martial arts behind Bruce's back. From there, Anna started to notice how Elisa looked forward to her visits; she would always ask about her day and left the impression someone cared about her when others did not.

Before she could ponder the subject any further, the elevator chime snapped her out from the trance.

* * *

Anna stepped out into the warmth of the sun, the bright rays coming down on her red striped knee length sundress. She pushed up her sunglasses and sauntered about her way, the click of her limpid-heeled sandals resounding along the narrow walkway. Ganryu joined her, trailing from behind, seeming unable to keep up with her speed.

"Anna! You almost forgot your purse!" He shouted between pants, handing it to her once they were within reaching distance. It was apparent his age was getting the better of him, just as it did Bruce.

For a moment, she was dumbfounded whilst slinging the retrieved item over her shoulder. "Oh my, how could I have forgotten." She unzipped it, relieved at finding everything untouched before using the pocket-sized mirror to check her makeup. "Thanks for bringing this to me."

He frowned, hands fixed at his hips to show his displeasure. "Really Anna. You should be more careful where you place your things. You might lose them." He drew in the air and expelled a deep sigh upon changing the subject. "Anyways, where ya going?"

"Café. Need a place to unwind." Then she spun around, no longer facing him. "Care to tag along?"

Right now, a little company did not seem to hurt no matter who it was. Besides, the two of them could use the exercise.

A smile took the place of his answer and that was all Anna needed for a confirmation.

* * *

It had been a peaceful fifteen-minute walk through the bustling city, and Anna was astonished that Ganryu had yet to embarrass either of them. For the most part, he had been quiet, drawing suspicion that something was not right. His eyes continued to veer away from her every time she looked at him as if he concealed some sort of secret he did not want to confess.

"What's on your mind?" Anna asked, the question almost startling him as he paused and looked her way. She assumed it had something to do with that Native American woman he was so fond of, but she had to be sure. A day would not go by without him mentioning her in some fashion.

"It's Bruce." He admitted, seeming a little hesitant to tell the rest. "Did he tell you about the surgery?"

Anna shook her head, interested to learn more as a finger rose to her chin. "No. I didn't hear about any such thing." She expected that much from Bruce, as he never intended to share his personal business with anybody.

"He had surgery on his shoulder recently. Said he tore something. The doctor told him not to train or do anything requiring the use of it, but he's doing the exact opposite." The sumo wrestler's gaze dropped before it rose once more. "Maybe… you could talk to him. He always seems willing to listen to you."

As true as that may have seemed, she saw it in a different perspective. "Bruce won't listen to me. He's too stubborn. Too self-assured of himself. I tell him to take it easy sometimes and it's like I'm talking to myself. The other day he complained about having back pains, and when I offered a massage he acted as if he didn't need one."

Those words sounded colder than Anna would have wanted them to. She detested saying such things about Bruce behind his back, but knew to an extent that they were true. In his youth, he was strong, fierce, and had a sharp eye for almost anything. Nevertheless, his skills seemed to have deteriorated since then, and he was not the type to accept that so easily. Indeed, he was not the man he used to be.

She acknowledged the squeeze at her hand, the concerned look in his pleading eyes. "Anna, I really think you should watch him. I know your schedule is sometimes busy, but when you have the time, I think you should check on him every once in a while. Elisa is still very young and can't take care of him yet."

To her, that was a good idea, ensuring she could keep a closer look on him. Of course Bruce was more than capable of taking care of himself. However, she could not afford the risk of something happening. "That would be wise." She conceded with a nod as Ganryu opened the door for her gentlemanlike upon their entry to the café.

* * *

Anna sat in the chair with one leg crossed over the other, sandal dangling off the end of her polished toes. Her sunglasses made the interior appear darker than it was although it did little to dampen the quality of the entertainment seen within. She only ordered a small beverage to quench her thirst, knowing a full tummy would reject anything else. Ganryu, on the other hand, held nothing back in regards to the menu. He always tended to think with his stomach first before anything.

"Hope your wallet is as big as your appetite, sweetie." She rose the glass to her lips, the icy water coursing down her throat.

Ganryu laid his arms on the table, almost shaking it with his bulk. "I have a question for you that's been on my mind a while." He paused in thought, scratching the side of his nose. "Why still hang with us old folks? Shouldn't you be with someone a little more… younger? I don't mean to offend, but I was worried you'd leave us after you woke up from the cryo-sleep, thinking we were too old for you."

A giggle at the oddity of his question and she replied. "I think one should be with who they choose. Age doesn't dictate any of that. You guys could be a hundred years old and I still wouldn't care." Her eyebrows fluttered as she said this in a soft-spoken voice, hoping he would understand as she drank another sip.

"I discovered something earlier… about Bruce." He caught Anna's attention again, his fingers tapping against the table edge.

"Hm?"

"I eavesdropped on him. Said something about going away. Don't remember exactly where, though."

Her purse started to vibrate in her lap before she could say anything, and already her mind knew what to expect. Half unzipping it, an array of text flashed across the screen of her communicator, requesting a call. She sighed, standing up and waving Ganryu off. "Be right back."

Once outside again, she hid in the shade of the vacant alleyway and turned the device on. The voice came in loud and clear through the speaker. "Afternoon, Anna. I really hate to bother you, but as you know duty calls. There's this cruise I want you aboard, and we've already acquired you a ticket. I'll brief you on it soon, so stay in touch." Communication with him than faded.

_'Damn it…'_

She feigned a smile on her way back in, muscles struggling to obscure the frown. It was her birthday, her time to relax and spend time with those closest to her. Yet, they did not seem to be the least bit concerned about that.

Leaving so sudden was rude, but she did not have a say in any of it. She had orders to follow no matter how much she disagreed with them. "Sorry, sweetie. I have to go. Business calls. You know how it is."

"Business is business, my friend." He waved his farewell to her as she did the same before stepping out once more. Her mind began to ponder again as she walked among the evening commuters.

_'Another mission. Wonder what they have in store for me this time…'_


	2. Chapter 2

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**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 2 _**

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She had parked her car near the abandoned apartment complex the homeless often used as a shelter. Bruce had told Anna many times that this was an unsafe neighborhood to leave things unattended; looking around made her further understand this. Other cars had either their valuable parts stolen, cracked, or even destroyed. Hers did not suffer such abuse though, and luck had nothing to do with it.

A push of the button from her remote, and the steel armor-plating that had been protecting the automobile retracted. A slam of the door activated the neon lights as her body sunk into the black leather seat after stepping in. She pulled open the glove compartment, allowing the mechanism built within to scan her retina and fingerprints.

Once it had confirmed her identification, the blank screen monitor rolled out across her lap with a whir. All the information pertaining to the mission came through via fax machine. Her eyes scrolled through it as she flipped the briefcase open containing her semiautomatic pistol.

The communicator blipped on the armrest before switching on again. "Greetings, Miss Williams. I certainly hope I did not catch you at a bad time." He sounded so phony as always with forgiveness.

'_Oh no. I wouldn't consider disrupting me while I'm celebrating my birthday when you could have chosen any other day a bad time at all.' _She rolled her eyes with heavy sarcasm.

Then her gaze focused out the dark-tinted window, noting a woman partying with two males on the hood of a car. The pleasant image made her release a deepened sigh before she turned back to regard the assignment.

"So whats the deal?" With hands held behind her head like a cushion, she reclined in her seat.

"Our satellite has detected increased levels of activity at an old observatory complex based in London, England. Looks like G Corporation is behind this."

Anna inserted a clip into her pistol, then cocked it back twice after having sat up. "G Corporation?" She uttered the name of the Mishima Zaibatsu rival company and main competition.

"Yes." He said, clearing his throat. "They are slowly expanding their resources as we speak. They have brought Doctor Abel in on this too. For what, we are not yet sure, but if he's involved, it can't be good. As you know, Abel was once affiliated with the Zaibatsu and involved in some of the crooked experiments they conducted at one time."

'_Wonderful. I'll have to spend the afternoon with the doctor as well.'_

He continued after a long pause. "Once you get to London and gather all you need, one of our crafts will come pick you up at the rendezvous point and take you where you need to go."

"Understood."

"In addition to that, other sources have confirmed a large shipment of computer hardware to that location, and an influx of skilled personal. It only seems to get bigger from there.G Corperation are defiantly up to something and we wanna know what and why. Whatever plans they have, I want you to copy the data and send it back to us so that we know exactly what is going on."

"Of course." She nodded with long nails tapping against the armrest on pondering. "One question, sweetie. Why did you book me on this cruise when there's work involved?"

"You are our top agent. You're always at your best after you relax. Consider it like a birthday present. But I want you working too. Somebody from G Corporation will be onboard that could give you some more information on the issue. I'm sure you can be very persuasive when it comes to getting what you want."

A wide grin grew across her face with a more serious nod. "You have nothing to worry about. Leave it to me."

One last blip and the device shut off.

Anna knew little on G Corporation or their ambitions other than their advances in biogenetic research; but if they were rivals to the Mishima Empire, they were likely a threat.

A mission like this was so unlike the others, but Anna welcomed it as a new challenge for her to face. After all, just like her commanding officer said, she was their best yet, and the least she wanted was to disappoint them. She needed to be ready, and she knew she would be for this occasion.

Tomorrow was nigh.

* * *

Anna had gathered everything she needed for the trip having left the hotel over a few minutes ago. Opportunities like this came rare, but she was not one to complain in this case. Her body had required an immense amount of sleep since the last three recent missions left her drained; a small price to pay that came with the job, and Anna was still adapting to it even now. 

She had been up since early morning to ensure she was there on time, getting only six hours maximum of sleep. The rest she had dedicated to piecing together her equipment and bringing along the right gadgets. Like other incidents that could happen at any moment, one could not be too careful.

She sipped through the straw for the last remnants of her lemonade before gazing at the summery splendor expanding in front of her. The scenery had such a gorgeous tropical atmosphere to it, unable to describe in just simple words alone.

Ahead was the cruise ship, a massive sea structure able to house over three thousand passengers. It would be like home until she got to London. From this line of view, it did not look like anything special, but once Anna got closer to the pier she was able to experience its true beauty. She checked herself over one last time, hoping she had dressed appropriate for the weather.

A navy-blue denim mini dress embraced her light form as she walked along the narrow floating dock. The heeled, red slip-on sandals brought renewed comfort to her feet, and she smiled as the crewmembers helped her with her luggage aboard. With the way everything was set up, this cruise had five star luxury written all over it. She still had a mission to fulfill, but it did not mean she could not enjoy herself.

Once she stowed her things away inside her cabin, she returned to the upper deck and leaned over the railing. The view of the wavy ocean was breathtaking from this proximity. Times like this made her wish she had someone to share it with, whether relative or companion.

Soon enough, the cruise ship was miles off shore with not so much as a single building in sight. It was just her and the soothed roar of the ocean waves as nostrils snuffed in the mixed aroma of fresh air and her own perfume.

Everyone aboard had engaged in some activity, and Anna thought it best she do the same. The women lounging in fold up chairs receiving a nice tan on the ship's deck gave her a pleasant hint before considering it.

Before she even took two steps, the sudden sound of chomping slowed her to a pause. Anna looked over her shoulder and noted it coming from behind a series of barrels. Peering over them, she spied on the husky man donning a Hawaiian shirt munching through a full plate of chicken.

He had his back turned to her, seeming to have no idea she stood behind him. Once he rose to one knee, he almost shrieked like a fearful woman the moment her shadow loomed over him.

"Wait a minute…" Anna neared the man, staring him right in the eyes as he froze in place, his visage becoming familiar through the disguise. She gripped his mustache and peeled it off after removing the cap from his head, taking in his Asian features. "Ganryu?"

"Oh my, Anna! Uh… fancy s-s-seeing you here. Lovely day isn't it? Ohhhh, nice outfit you got there. You look so beautiful. Did I mention how beautiful you l-look in it?" He stammered, no doubt trying to hide something.

However, she was no fool. "Cut the crap, Ganryu." She said in a stern tone, tapping her foot against the floor. "Mind telling me what you're doing here?"

His gaze lowered to the ground as he grumbled, as if his own mother was speaking to him. "Well, uh. You see. I, uh." Then he burst out and surprised her with an unexpected answer. "Please don't be upset with me, Anna! I was lonely and I overheard Julia was going to London. The love I have for her is so dear, I could not help but feel this would be my only chance to see her."

Anna rubbed the side of her head with a shrug. "Why on earth would I be upset at you?"

He bent over, whispering. "Well, uh. Promise you won't tell?"

She gave him a questioning look before agreeing with a slow nod. "Um..ok."

He hesitated a moment before he released a quick breath. "I'm kind of on this boat illegally. You know…like a stow away."

Anna put the only thing she had on her mind into words, about ready to strangle him. "You what!" Anger surged through out her, enough to make her scream out profanity that would make even a sailor gasp out in shock.

"Shhhh!" He motioned his hands for her to keep her voice down as a couple passengers turned their heads to them.

She now had over a dozen words to blast him with, choosing some that were less severe as she tried to stay calm. "Ganryu, do you have any idea what you've done? If they catch you and find this out, you'll be in big trouble!"

"I won't let that happen." He said, trying to embrace her though she pushed him away.

"You're darn right it wont happen because you're not going to be seen." If anything, she was going to make sure of that. "Go down to my cabin downstairs and stay there until further notice. When I knock, you'll know it's me. Just remember the code you, Bruce, and me used to do. And whatever you do, be sure not to let anybody else know about this."

"Hey. What about you? What are you doing here?" He changed the tone in his voice as he asked the question.

"Don't worry about it. Right now, just do as I told you. Okay?"

He let her know he had heard loud and clear with a silent 'yes' and a bow before excusing himself off the deck. Anna then seated herself in one of the chairs nearby, rolling of her eyes. Things were not going as planned so far, and Ganryu's awkward presence was not helping in the least.

Rapid giggling of children soon caught her ear, accompanied by a voice Anna knew too well. There he was, standing amongst them with trademark goatee and Mohawk.

"So remember, kids: stay in school, don't talk to strangers, and, uh, well, you know the rest." Bruce said as he inspected each of them with a returned salute.

The scene put a smile on Anna's face. Bruce never seemed like the type to work so well with children, but he did. He always went around the neighborhood sticking up for all the young boys and girls victimized by bullying and other violence. Whenever the assailants saw Bruce coming, they always ran off or underwent one of his quick but painful beat downs.

Anna remained undiscovered against the wall on peeking around the corner, capturing most of the conversation. However, muscles tightened as she heard Bruce's footsteps approaching her position.

"I guess I better be going. Stay out of trouble, you little brats!"

They chuckled on waving him off.

She crouched low behind a stack of crates, listening at the closeness of his steps until they were no longer audible. The situation was getting weirder for even her to handle. Having to worry about Ganryu was bad enough.

'I just can't ever seem to win.' She thought.

* * *

The Jacuzzi tub had been empty for the past few minutes, but not for long as Anna's bikini-clad body settled into the steamy, boiling hot water. A relaxed sigh escaped her when she leaned back to soak her hair in it. After everything she had endured so far, she deserved this time of peace. 

About ten minutes of this and she was ready to leave before lightheadedness and nausea overcame her. Her body had only gone half way up before the interruption froze her.

"Looks like today is my lucky day."

Upon hearing the smooth yet memorable voice, she turned to acknowledge him. Silver sheened hair, flawless white teeth completed with sharp eyes brightening in a promiscuous manner. Both his hands held two full wine glasses by the stems, evident enough to make out whom the second belonged to.

"Evening, lovely lady Williams. Do what do I owe this honor?" Lee Chaolin flashed that flawless grin again, his chiseled body standing in way of the gold glimmering sun. "You look lonesome in there. Mind if I join you?"

Her smile grew wide with an inviting nod, eyebrows flickering in the same manner his did. She took hold of his wrists and with slow, backward steps guided him into the steaming tub. He tensed a little once the water reached his navel, but the feel of her hands at his hips seemed to relax him.

They stood inches apart, beaming at each other, lips close enough to touch into a soft kiss. He offered her the glass, which she took and sipped from after a quick toast.

"Delicious." She whispered, tongue licking off the grape-flavored residue.

"You really like it? A little something special I made." He took her hand and kissed it just as he did their last encounter.

There was a girlish giggle from her. " I'm not surprised."

He took a sip as he slung his arm around her with his free hand. "Today calls for celebration, Anna."

"Oh? And just what are we celebrating?" A finger slid down his chest as she asked the question.

"Why, Kazuya's elimination and removal from power of course. I'm sure your **involvement** had something to do with it. You impress me, Williams. That is something that many don't often do."

She smiled. "You're too kind, Mister Lee Chaolin. I shouldn't receive all the credit. Had it not been for you, I may have not have gone there in the first place. It goes to show what two minds can do when they help each other."

"Right. So, what are you doing later on?"

She tried hard to stifle the laughter, thinking she had a good idea what he was after. "Just because you brought me a drink doesn't mean you get laid tonight."

"So what would two drinks mean?" He snickered, seeming to find what he said more humorous than she did.

"You're funny." Her laughter continued.

"Indeed." He paused and looked around, speaking low, as if someone was watching them. "Just a bit of a heads up. I'm very good friends with the captain and crew of this ship. And from what I know, there is word of a stowaway on board. So be on the look out."

Anna froze with widening eyes, trying to keep her stammering to a minimum. "Oh? You wouldn't happen to have a description, would you?"

"As a matter of fact I do. He's described as a fat Asian man looking to be between the ages of forty and fifty. Several people here share that same description, so finding him isn't easy. Must be an accomplice helping him. And once they are apprehended too, they'll receive the same punishment."

She gulped hard on the last swallow of wine as he confirmed her fear. As long as Ganryu stayed put and out of sight, he would be fine. Or so she had hoped.

Anna tilted her head sideways, feeling things starting to worsen, spotting Ganryu walking by. A soft gasp filled with panic sounded aloud, her gaze stilling on the sumo wrestler, as he had not noticed them. The expression in Lee's face indicated he had noticed something was wrong. He was about to turn his head to look back, but Anna swallowed hard and went for it without a second thought. Her hands came about his face, forcing his lips to meet hers. The kiss lingered, distracting Lee long enough for Ganryu to vanish before the man even noticed him.

Their heads parted and Lee was speechless for a moment before he said anything else. "I…I… knew that I had a charm with women, but I did not think it was this effective. Would you like to see my cabin, Miss Williams?"

She removed the shocked frown, intending to replace it with a delighted smile. After all that, she exhaled deep and gave him her answer in a kind whisper to avoid any suspicion. "Love to."

* * *

Lee's interior cabin was unlike the others including her own, imitating a luxurious room seen in most suites. A large bed provided space for two guests to share at once. He even had his own golf set, which he had her interested in for the past few minutes since coming in. 

Anna shifted her posture, feeling his hands trail down to her hips from behind as she held the golf club with her own. His touch had relaxed her nerves, filling her heart with an immeasurable amount of confidence.

He pressed himself close to her ear, issuing instructions in that smooth, dulcet whisper. "Ready…and…swing!"

Anna did so with the lightest of strokes, watching the tiny, white ball roll straight into the hole. "Would you look at that. I did it."

"And so you did. Not bad for a beginner. I think you and me need to…lie down and get more comfortable. I can tell you've had a hard day." He drew back a strand of hair from her face, giving her the same stare from earlier. No need to guess where this was going.

His fingers seemed to be undoing the buttons in her dress. However, Anna's hand brushed them away, lips homing in on his once again, as she lured him to the bedside. It was as if they had waited the whole evening for this. Their kiss deepened until she felt Lee's fingers reach down behind and grope her.

"No. We can't end up like this. I won't let you do this to me." She pulled herself off him, unwilling to fall in one of his traps. Lee was a playboy primarily and such a trick was common amongst them.

His gaze shifted downward. "But I am really in love with you."

Trusting that statement was not easy, knowing all the relationships he had put himself in; so many women he deceived, yet so many were like mindless drones that clung to his love as if it were genuine. "Why should I believe you?"

He uncrossed her arms, ensuring she listened to every word. "I have searched nearly all my life for someone like you. No woman has ever stood up to me before and I admire that. And you've made me a very happy man by getting Kazuya out of the picture. You have guts, you have wit, and last but not least… you have the beauty of a woman I crave."

Lee seemed to pour his heart out with every sentence. There was a heavy layer of emotion in them, and she was the first to realize it.

He continued. "You can come and work for me. Help me overthrow Heihachi so that I may claim the Zaibatsu and free it from the corruption he and my brother have bestowed upon it. Who's your employer? I'll double—no-- triple. Hell, I'll even quadruple the amount they're paying you. Just name your price."

Anna grinned, flattered that he would do anything to acquire her. "I'm not for sale."

"But…" He paused, as if the words he wanted to speak blanked out of his mind all the sudden.

She held him by the wrists, remaining soft-spoken. "Sweetie, I like you and all. You're a real great guy, and I'd love nothing more than to live in your castle and live happily ever after. Just like in the fairy tales. But you have to understand that I live a dangerous life."

"So? The fact that you're dangerous excites me and--"

She pressed two fingers to his lips to cut him off. "I'm sure it does, but I can't bring somebody into my life when there's consequences. I don't want to endanger anyone or bring about the chance of hurting them if something were to happen to me." She thumbed his gaping lips shut with a smile. "We can still enjoy the rest of the cruise, though."

He had gone silent, turning his back to her as he bowed his head. His voice seemed broken as he spoke, losing some of his masculinity. "I have just made other plans…and quite frankly… you're not apart of them. Good day, Anna." Then he looked away, insinuating he had nothing else to say as he left her speechless.

She was not sure if it was her ears playing tricks on her or not, but for a moment she thought she had heard sniffling. No woman had ever turned down Lee like this since most found him irresistible. It was a first for him and the rejection must have hurt him greater than she had thought.

His continuing silence cued her to leave and she did so, taking one last look at him, savoring it as if they would never meet again. Her frown mirrored his as she reached for his shoulder, only to pause and withdraw with the guilt of what she had done. 


	3. Chapter 3

**-----------------------------------------**

**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 3 _**

----------------------------------

The feeling of heartbreak. Anna knew it so well, remembering it from years before when she too received rejection. However, now was not the time to sulk. She took a breath, relieving some of the tension. Evening cold had started to shroud her form before she could think about anything else. Fun had become so overrated now as she leaned over the ship's railing.

She eyed the man talking to his cell phone nearby, suspicion sinking in as she caught a bit of the conversation.

"Yes. The company is steadily growing. Trust me, old man Heihachi and his Zaibatsu are going down. It's only a matter of time before G Corporation reaches the top, and they are left sinking at the bottom."

He walked off to a more secluded spot, clueless that she had followed him there. Now she was within touching distance, able to snap his neck if she wanted.

Anna raised her pistol before forcing the barrel into his scrawny neck, gaining his attention. She snatched his phone fast and flipped it shut as she disguised her voice. "Don't move. Don't even so much as turn around."

"Who are--" He did the opposite, receiving a harsh kick to the thigh that drew a pained grunt from him.

"I didn't say you could talk. Now, I want you to answer something for me: what is G Corporation after? What are they planning to do?" She pressed her pistol in deeper to let him know she was all business.

"G Corporation? What is this G Corporation? I have no idea what you're talking about." He said, his shaky voice thick with dishonesty.

Anna chuckled at how pathetic his answer came, finger held tight on the trigger. "I just heard you talking on the phone. What does that tell you?"

His silence was enough to admit that she had caught him in a lie.

"Now, are you gonna tell me anything, or do I have to force it out of you?"

His head drooped for a moment before rising back up, keeping his hands elevated. "Look. I don't really know what they're doing. I'm not given that type of information. I-I swear it. All I know is they're planning something really big and they're damn confident about it."

He seemed to tell the truth this time. Anna backed off although keeping her weapon's aim fixed at his head. "I see. Well, looks like you're off the hook."

"Who…who are you anyway? What is it you want? You don't work for Heihachi, do you?"

"Nobody special. Just hope we never have to meet again." She whispered in his ear before easing back with slow steps, concealing her pistol once out of his view. Then Anna felt something poke her leg, almost startling her.

"Psst! Anna! Down here!" came a familiar whisper.

She turned around at the sound of ruffling and knelt by the moving tarp. Raising it, she found the smiling visage of Ganryu underneath. "Pretty clever, huh? They won't find me here."

However, instead of giving praise, she gave him one unforgiving kick to the hip.

"Ow! Hey, what you do that for?" He rubbed his side with a whimper and a groan.

"For failing to listen to me. I hope you know Lee Chaolin almost saw you earlier. Why didn't you stay put?"

"I was hungry."

"Ugh, you and your appetite." She muttered, fighting hard to keep her voice down. "I'm surprised they haven't found you yet. I mean, you stick out like a sore thumb."

"I-I didn't get you in any trouble did I?" He blinked and went silent.

"No, but I might if they find out I associate with you. Luckily, we're almost to London. Now, stay here and don't move until I tell you to, got it?"

"Yes." He nodded in agreement. "But how am I gonna get off this thing without being seen?"

Anna smirked a little as she pondered for a plan. "You just leave that to me. See you later on."

* * *

People lined up single file on exiting the ship, receiving the typical farewells that most cruises gave. She did not see either Bruce or Lee Chaolin, but that was the least of her concerns. So far, nobody seemed suspicious as Anna waited outside by the water. She had distracted some of the crewmembers from seeing Ganryu climb out overboard; he was due to meet her at this spot any minute now.

Then she smiled as she saw Ganryu dog paddling up to her in view.

"You didn't say this idea of yours had me swimming in it!" He called out to her between pants.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" She shrugged. "Just be thankful you knew how to swim, and that diversion preoccupied them long enough not to notice."

"Easy for you to say, Anna. I'd like to see you experience what I did. Oh, did you happen to know Bruce was on the ship too?"

"Yes. I kept out of his sight. Hope you did too. He doesn't need to know we're here, although I'd like to know what he's doing here as well."

"Me too. He never saw me, though. Thank goodness. " Ganryu crawled to one knee, still coughing up some of the water he had swallowed. "So…where do we go from here?"

"Don't know about you, but I'm gonna go find a place to crash for the night. Lately, the things happening have been quite weird to me." She said, walking away from him.

"Anna! Hang on, I'm coming too!" He staggered close behind, wheezing as he did so.

* * *

London was massive, binding the combination of the past with the present. A city with so many places that one could not find the time to view them all. The museums, the parks, the palaces. Everything grabbed their attention once given the slightest glance. However, as alluring as the scenery was, other things had her concern.

They had no luck on catching a taxi and Ganryu was short on cash.

Finding a cheap hotel was simple though, popping up just in time. Anna paused to take a brief look around on coming in. Despite its low quality design compared to the more expensive hotels, this one proved to be sufficient.

The dark-gray haired man nodded with a wide grin behind the desk she came to. "Hello and welcome. How may I be of service to you, madam?"

"Well, sweetie. I'd like two rooms, please." Anna leaned on the counter, batting her eyelashes at him. "I'm sure you're smart enough to arrange that."

"Huh? Two rooms? But Anna…you said…oof!" She elbowed Ganryu in the stomach before he could finish, his voice punctuated by a long gasp.

"Two separate rooms? I say, are you and this, uh, gentleman here married?" He gave her and Ganryu a puzzled stare before scratching his bearded chin.

"No way!" They both screamed in unison, drawing his hands up in defense.

"Uh, I see. Well, I am sorry to have to tell you, but all our rooms are full… except for one. That is…if you two don't mind sharing it."

Anna sighed and looked back in defeat at a smiling Ganryu. "Fine, we'll take it."

"Would you like us to carry your luggage upstairs, madam?" The man cleared his throat, ready to do the task when asked.

"No thanks." She glanced back at her sumo friend with a vengeful grin. "I already got somebody to carry them."

Ganryu's jaw dropped.

* * *

Her clothes were a relief in coming off, replaced by the smooth fabric of the sleeveless blue nightdress. It had once belonged to her mother, a firm remainder of the bond they had; it smelt fresh like the flowers from their Ireland home, bringing back memories from staying out in the garden. Her mother loved that garden and sometimes allowed it to preoccupy most of her time.

"I always wanted to come here." Anna said through the crack in the bathroom door as she checked her appearance in the mirror.

"Really? Why is that? Got somebody special you wanna see?" Ganryu replied.

She grinned with a slight giggle. In fact, he was right; there was somebody she wanted to see: her nephew. Anna knew the details only through what Nina had given her before she vanished without a trace again.

The story was hard to swallow at first. During the cryo-sleep, Nina had been pregnant through in-vitro fertilization and had given birth to a young boy. A young boxing prodigy he was. In the photo she had of him, he had Nina's eyes and hair, but other details were scarce. Anna could not wait to meet him. When her job in London was finished, she vowed to seek out and find him.

After washing up and coming to bed, she noted Ganryu watching her. At first, his gaze did not bother her much, but him prolonging it made her pause in curiosity. "What?"

"I was wondering…what exactly is it you do at your job? I can't seem to remember you telling me about it at all."

Anna smiled as if she had nothing to hide, though finding it hard to keep her words as ambiguous as always. "Let's just say I go places, see people, and get things taken care of."

"You some kind of business executive? You seem to travel a lot." He scratched his head.

She no longer faced him. "Eh, something like that. I got a missi--er--meeting coming up soon, so I might have to step out later. Anyway, it's not important." She scolded herself in silence for letting her tongue almost slip. There seemed to be no indication of suspicion and she was glad for that. Her head descended toward the pillow, only to rise back up from an unsatisfied snort.

"Come on, Anna. You can tell me. It's not something embarrassing, is it? I won't make fun of you. Promise." It was as if he knew she had something hidden and would not stop until she revealed it.

Anna waved him off and pulled the warm sheets over her before switching off the lamp. "It's kind of a private thing, Ganryu. Just leave it alone." However, he switched the lights back on and she turned to find him posing in the mirror.

"If only I were twenty years younger…" He muttered, flexing his arms. "Julia would so adore-ack!" His sentence cut off after tripping over his own feet, his massive weight crashing right through the neighboring door leading over into the next room.

Ganryu lied there, groaning as Anna rushed to his side. "Oh my goodness! You all right, sweetie?"

"I'll manage." He took her offered hand and stood up, turning to the person seated on the far side of the bed. "Uh-oh…"

Anna's gaze followed his, noting Bruce glaring back at them as he folded his arms. "Oh shit…"

"What the hell is going on? What are you two doing here?" His voice sounded higher than she had ever heard it, a sign of anger and confusion.

Ganryu slid his feet inward with a stutter, as would a nervous child when confronted by his mother. "Well, you see, Bruce. It's a funny story really…"

"Shut up!" Bruce growled at him, eyes hovering over Anna like a hawk for an obvious confession. "Why don't you tell me?"

She pondered for an excuse, not leaving his gaze to make it seem more convincing. "We just wanted to see how you were doing. That's all." The answer had come off slow and sincere, at least to her. Anna said nothing else after, feeling that response was enough.

Bruce turned and walked away, seeming to have bought it. Anna began to smile in triumph before he turned back. "Hmmm…bullshit!" He came to stand before her. "You're lying. You couldn't have just came here for that. There has to be more to it. I already said I can take care of myself. I **don't** need your help."

Before Anna could burst out with another defensive reply, her communicator beeped from the other room. Bruce paused, speechless.

_'Perfect timing…"_

"Um...excuse me for a second."

Ganryu did not seem too happy about her leaving him alone with an irate kick-boxer.

She closed the door back and crouched under the bed after snatching the device off the table. "I'll be out there soon. Just hold on." She whispered with urgency in her voice.

Upon rising, she almost jumped as Bruce stood near the reopened door with a slight smirk. "So, this is about one of your missions, I take it?" His tone was much softer than before.

Anna frowned and nodded, seeing no use in lying. Ganryu walked in, watching them both as if in suspicion of something.

"Just as I thought. Good, I could use some action to lighten up this vacation." The ex-mercenary said, turning about.

"You're not coming with me, Bruce." She told him in a sharp retort. "We've been through this before."

"What's going on here?" Ganryu scratched his chin, awaiting an answer.

Bruce looked back at her, then at the sumo wrestler, a mysterious intention gleaming in his eyes. "Anna's an international agent and spy, working for some secret organization. Bet ya she didn't tell ya that now, did she?" He turned, watching her seethe.

_'Oh no he didn't just tell…'_

"Really? Is this true, Anna?" Ganryu's eyes seemed to widen in disbelief as he fixed his gaze on her. The secret was out and she could do nothing about it. It was as if all the sudden time froze in place, her mind scrambling for a way out.

She did not answer, instead looking to gather her things in haste.

Bruce scoffed. " Humph! To those people you work for, you ain't nothin' but a honey pot."

Anna paused before storming up to him at chest level. "What did you just say?" The hostility in her voice was even more apparent now as she clenched her fists.

He lowered his head until they were eye to eye, not showing a single bit of forgiveness. "That's why you got the job. Let's face it, they only hired you for your looks."

Anna glowered with one final huff; it seemed unlikely he would take any of it back. She swung an opened hand to his face for an attempted slap, only to have it blocked and gripped by his own. "Don't test me," came her cold mutter through barred teeth.

He relinquished her hand. "Why don't you let me come along? I let it slide before, but not this time. Two heads are better than one, kid. You know that."

Anna hissed, as the verbal war between them grew even more intense. "This isn't the old days, Bruce! This is a confidential mission and they only need one person to handle it." She had taken a deep breath, but she was not finished yet. "You know what your problem is? You're just a senile old man trying to relive the days of his past!"

Bruce fired back, ignoring Ganryu's pleas to calm down as the veins came visible on his head. "You know what your problem is? You don't trust me anymore."

"What?" Anna shook her head with mouth agape.

"Yeah, that's right." He continued. "You use to share stuff with me all the time no matter what it was about, but not anymore. Remember the pact we made? To always trust in each other? Since you got this job, all you do is lie now and make excuses. You're a god damn liar, Anna, and you know it!"

Ganryu squeezed in between them to get things under control. "Please, stop it! Both of you! Would you two listen to yourselves? You sound like children and…"

Bruce did not even give him time to finish, glaring at her more than he did the sumo wrestler. "I don't need this soap opera bullshit. I'm outta here." He grabbed his coat from the other room and walked out, slamming the door hard behind him.

Anna released a hard sigh with eyes closed as Bruce's criticism about trust echoed in her mind. They had made that pact long ago; it was just coming to her now, and she felt ashamed to have forgotten it when it was one of the defining moments of their friendship.

Perhaps he was right in what he had said.

Yelling did not do either of them any good, leaving her somewhat thirsty as well as irritated. The event had reminded her of past arguments with her sister, Nina; only they were more physical than anything.

Ganryu came beside her, a hand fixed on her shoulder. "Sorry, Anna…"

She shook her head, a tear sliding down her cheek, one she hoped he did not see. "It's not your fault…" The argument left her sobbing a little as she grasped her things tight.

"Here." He said as he tossed a small bottle to her. "Found it in his room."

Anna snatched it from the air, reading the label with a frown. "Pain killers…" came her disappointed mutter. Shaking the bottle confirmed he had consumed many, likely trying to numb the surgical pain. It also explained the outburst he had before he barged out of here like that.

In all the time she had known Bruce, she had never known him to take any drugs of any kind. It was against his morals, and it sparked a great fear in her over what might happen to him if he kept this up. Doing what she thought was best, she flushed the rest of the pills down the sink and got her things.

"Where are you going?" Ganryu asked before her hand reached the knob on the door.

"Don't have time to explain." She exhaled a sigh before her eyes closed again and her gaze dropped, leaving him with a few final words. "Sometimes… things are better left unsaid." 


	4. Chapter 4

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**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2 _**

**_Chapter 4 _**

----------------------------------

The red and gray kevlar suit fit snug on her, complete with a utility belt containing her equipment. She slipped on the gloves and defensive gauntlets before easing her knifes into their proper places. Ammo was sufficient, as she had ensured as rain clouds began forming in the sky.

All of her weaponry and gadgets always served a purpose when brought. No doubt this mission would be no exception. Ever since her encounter with Kazuya, the equipment she used had grown far more advanced. The technology she possessed was beyond what a low ranking agent received and required someone of her expertise.

A final test for her miniature earpiece and she stood up from crouching to head toward the rendezvous point. The city was dark, only illuminated by the lightning accompanying the storm coming in. Night vision made things so much easier on sprinting through alleyways; everything was an array of green and black.

Anna scaled buildings like pillars by aid of her grapple-gun, moving in silence like a prowler in the night. It brought her to the highest rooftop where she stood in wait. Fortunate for her, the suit provided enough warmth to protect her from the unforgiving cold with its built-in heating system.

The past argument was rewinding and replaying in her mind like a tape recording. Anna knew she lied a lot (mostly to keep her job in secrecy) but she had no clue how it had affected others. Sometimes it was necessary, but it started to become more of a bad habit the more she did it. Perhaps her profession had changed her some in the coming months as Bruce had said.

She groaned as she thought of this. The look of disappointment in Ganryu's eyes back at the hotel seemed to say it all. It was time to stop, but she wondered more on how rather than when.

A glance at her watch and she noted the whir of the aircraft descending upon her. She attached herself to the lowering cable before it reeled her up to climb in. The view of London was more immense now at this altitude, breathtaking even. The landscape seemed to dazzle around her with the stars.

Her earpiece then gave a low-pitch beep before she answered the call.

"Report…" His voice cleared over the static.

"I'm heading there now." She said with a heavy sigh, leaning back.

"Good. I shall leave you to fulfill your duty…"

Anna nodded. "Um…yeah."

"Hm? You don't sound like your usual cheery self today. Something wrong?"

"Nope. Nothing really." She lied, masking the tone of her voice.

"Ok then. You know what to do."

The signal faded out with Anna looking toward the horizon, sky flashing with her thoughts. "And so...it begins..." She muttered.

* * *

She detached herself from the cable and sprinted for the nearest hill to seek cover behind. The underground bunker was several yards away, the entrance unguarded.

The multicolored panel on the door signaled they had installed an alarm system for any intruders looking to break in from the front. No matter, Anna had something else in mind.

She stole toward the tower in the distance and climbed up the ladder. Four separate locks secured the grate, ensuring no one got in or no one came out. Each one came off with a couple well-placed shots. Anna then jumped down blind into the dark-filled pit, unknowing of what to expect. Her feet touched solid floor as she spied the still security camera on the upper wall.

She unplugged it and went about her way, opening each door with caution. The bunker seemed much larger on the inside through further inspection. A slight cough startled her from across the hall, prompting her to hide behind the corner. One eye peeked out to catch sight of him.

As the guard came by, she fired a silenced shot straight into his torso. He was unaware, not even noting the first symptom that came in yawning. His walking slowed, his legs beginning to slump before he crashed to the floor face-first.

Anna checked his pulse as his body lied still, hearing a regular heartbeat within his chest. He was alive, but sedated, just as intended. Two more of his allies came up the far steps, giving her enough time to conceal only herself.

They stared at the body of their unconscious companion, kicking him in the shoulder. "What happened to him? Hey! Wake up! This is no time to sleep!" The first guard said with a tinge of anger in his voice.

"I think he's out cold," uttered the second, bending over for a closer look to poke him. "Weird. I'll call somebody."

Anna did not bother to listen to the rest as she went into a crouch, crawling on all fours like a stealthy feline. Most of the windowed doors had surveillance on the other side that would spot her if she stood. She squeezed into the next room filled with mainframes and other machinery once she knew all was clear.

There was a pair of blueprints lying on the table, revealing details on a prototype of some kind.

'This must be the weapon they're building. But what are they gonna use it for?"

Anna snapped a few pictures with her camera, stopping as she heard a noise, eyes widened.

Footsteps approached from outside and she scurried to get out unseen as fast as she could. However, it was too late as the door slid open. Two pairs of eyes focused upon her before sharing a brief gaze. Anna shot one, but the other radioed for backup, backup that had flooded the room as if expecting this. Her mouth expelled a gasp as she realized she lacked the firepower to take them down.

They surrounded, tackled, and pinned her to the floor before she could even blink. Their superior weight was too much to push away. She then felt the harsh, electrifying sting of a taser pressing into her lower back, stunning her where she lied. Ignoring her pained screams, they raised her weakened body up and sat her down. They handcuffed her wrists behind the chair, their guns fixed on every ligament.

"Well…what do we have here?" came a distant voice. The door opened as the guards separated to form a path for the one entering. The man walking in rubbed atop his baldhead, his lab coat trailing behind him like a cape. His liver-spotted skin seemed deprived of moisture as he discarded a glove to scratch his hand.

"Doctor Abel" Anna murmured, remembering his image from the photos in Boskonovitch's lab. He was Boskonovitch's bitter rival, always trying to outdo him in science, yet always failing at every attempt.

"Quite an attractive catch we got here. Perhaps…a spy sent by Heihachi Mishima himself? Ha! I never knew he had confidence in females."

Anna grimaced at the onion-like odor, as he got closer. "I wonder if you ever learned of this wonderful invention called the toothbrush. Does wonders for your teeth, especially…ugh… your breath."

Abel leaned over with a glare and smacked her across the face. Her cheek throbbed from the man's slap as her head turned away.

"I use one enough, thank you very much. Now, I'll do the talking and you'll do the answering. First question: who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Actually, that's two questions, sweetie. That's the trouble with the world these days. Nobody takes the time to do a real sinister interrogation anymore. It's a lost art." She gave a slight giggle before his hand made contact with her face again. Her smile faded, replaced by a frown and the slanting of her eyebrows.

"Your sense of humor does not sway me, young lady." He strolled around the room, arms behind his back. "I have a different method I'd like to try…" A pause and he turned back with a mischievous grin. "The mind is a fascinating thing, no? You can learn so much from it. So much to learn about it."

Anna shook her head. "What are you babbling about?"

"You see…" He pointed a hairy finger to the machine nearby. "This little contraption here can read thoughts and tell me anything I need to know about you. Nice little invention, don't you think? I bet that fool Boskonovitch never had such a brilliant idea."

With a soft gasp, her voice strained on attempting to break free, but it was no use; her restraints were too tight.

"Ah, did I just strike a nerve? Excellent. Let's have a peek inside your head, shall we?" Abel chuckled and turned the device on, a once blank screen now brightening beside him. "Ohhhh, interesting…interesting. Hmmm, tell me…what kind of a woman has **snakes** on the brain?"

Anna struggled even more now at the mentioning of the word, teeth gritting as the guards restrained her. The image had come back, one of a python bobbing its head as if to an inaudible rhythm, beady eyes focused upon her. She remembered the threatening hiss it made just before its fangs sunk into her arm, accompanied by a much younger Nina's uncontrollable laughter.

Abel's voice dragged her back to the present, where her mind needed to be now.

"It doesn't matter…agent Williams. I now know everything… and let me say... you have an interesting mind. You took a big risk in coming here and consequences are bound to follow. Sadly, I won't be around to witness your well-deserved execution." He tilted his thin glasses up and cleared his throat. "Have somewhere else I have to be."

She watched him leave, glowering, unable to take her eyes off him. He had set off a great anger within her that she thought was unimaginable. With her private knowledge, there was no telling what he would do with it. He could locate the whereabouts of her superiors, bring harm to anyone she cared for. Anna shivered to think of the possibilities on what could happen, instead focusing on how to get out of this mess.

Before long, she could feel the firm grip of hands tightening over her shoulders to escort her out. If anything, it was best she think up something soon. 


	5. Chapter 5

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**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 5 _**

--------------------------------------

Two guards stood watch before her in an office-like room, both minding her movements as well as the door, the only route of escape. Anna could note their hands held around the holsters in case she tried something crafty.

Their muttering was indistinct, but she could care less about the information they did not bother to share. They looked to kill her, perhaps sooner than she thought.

She was unequipped, stripped of everything useful that would get her out of this situation. However, a glance at her forefinger, and she realized there was something they had not confiscated. Something so casual it would slip by them unnoticed. They were also ignorant to the hairpin she had concealed within her clenched fist. She had kept it in her mouth after they captured her. The moment their attention on her dwindled, she dropped it under her thigh and scooped it up with her hand.

Her gaze had settled upon the sidearms they carried, but only for a brief moment to not rouse any suspicion. They seemed oblivious of her intentions and she could not be anymore grateful for that. Timing was important and she only had one chance to get it right. The wait seemed like an eternity before anything came out of it.

They started to yawn, blink, and stretch, hindering their perception. She put the hairpin to use, on the verge of unlocking the handcuffs.

Soon their guards were down, egging her on to do what was necessary.

Before she could act, however, another guard walked in unannounced. He turned to his comrades and offered a salute before voicing his news.

"Just got new orders. Kill the spy immediately!"

Hearing those words pulsated her heart, had her teeth gritting close together.

Wasting little time, she freed herself from the cuffs and activated the magnetic ring on her forefinger. The attraction drew their pistols to fly right into her grip. In front of her, she kicked the table over and used it as a shield as the bullets flew. The guards screamed for her to disarm and surrender after drawing and firing their secondary sidearms, but she knew that was not happening.

Once the gunfire had ceased for a brief second, that was all she needed to make her move. Three solid shots had quieted things a little, though she expected more to come soon after hearing the noise. Stealth did little good here now.

Anna retrieved her equipment in the other room and slipped it back on before bolting through the door. Her ears picked up distant clamoring through the sidewall as she readied her pistol. No doubt the firepower they were bringing would be a notch above her own. No matter, she had trained to take on more than just a few assailants.

She concealed herself behind a stack of crates, easing out a small mirror. In the reflection, she saw them coming down the hall in groups.

The first few that came rushing toward her had the discomfort of having a bullet lodged through the chest.

The second surrounded her, wielding stun batons that crackled upon activation. She drew her grapple gun to seize one and yank it from the man's grip. Anna then closed her eyes a moment and recalled the ways of Aikido her mother had taught long ago. She assumed the proper stance, waving the attackers on with a light smirk.

Like prey led into a trap, they each rushed at her, with stun batons held like billy-clubs. She took one by the arm, using his weight against him as she slammed him back-first to the floor. The next had his arm bent and twisted in ways nature did not allow before the tendons snapped, soon relinquished after a knife-edge chop to the throat. The third and last of the group had his stomach kneed in by the hard material of her shin guards. Each blow had been more severe then the last, but they had left her no choice.

More came pouring into the halls like a flood of stampeding animals ready to trample over her. The scowl on her face expanded as she seized the rifle on the floor, clearing a path to make her exit. Ammunition clanked against the Kevlar of her combat suit as she retraced her steps to where she had broke in.

She could make out Abel on breaking out of the tower, pursuing him with little resistance. He was too far away as he went into the backseat of a fleeing car. Anna grimaced and sped for it, moving as fast as her legs would allow.

Then she noted the shadow hovering over her, the aircraft lowering a line to pick her up. She grabbed on as it reeled her in, seeing the car beginning to pick up speed. He must have known she was coming.

"Follow that vehicle!" She shifted her gaze at the pilot and pointed downward. "But don't get too close!"

He nodded as the aircraft itself shook from the sudden change in course. Anna felt the wind blow through her hair in gusts as her fingers squeezed at the knee as they picked up altitude. Abel's car went faster than the average automobile and it was not long before it started running stoplights, signs, and over passing other vehicles. Tires screeching, he had shifted into a few crazy swerves before ramming into a few cars parked on the road.

The aircraft already had a hard time dodging buildings and other obstacles stretched out in its path. All this seemed to do was further delay things and she groaned at this.

At last, the car had come to a cease, but at a train depot no less.

Dr. Abel boarded the armored train before it shot back in reverse. Away from civilization, Anna would fetch the bazooka stored in the back and hoisted it over her shoulder on crouching. She steadied the weapon's massive weight, the target now within her crosshairs through the scoped lens.

A scrawny turret soon emerged from the train's front, back, and sides, directing their aims at the following aircraft. Anna's gut tightened as the pilot swung to the left with haste, then to the right before repeating the process, disrupting her shot.

The cannon's bullets missed thanks to that tactic, but they were still in danger. She sat up to retry another shot, and this one succeeded, demolishing the turret tip before the rest broke off. Its twins sought for revenge, repositioning their aim. She scrambled to reload, taking out the last three as the debris spilled everywhere.

Anna smiled with glee. "Get us in front of it. I have an idea!"

He guided the aircraft where she had instructed. She readied the bazooka once more, the missiles blowing off the tracks, forcing the train to come to an immediate stop. Anna disembarked and proceeded in with caution, scoped-pistol panning around at anything that moved.

The interior was quiet, the seats left empty as if no one was on board, but she knew better. Not long before a noise startled her from behind. She caught the hand just before the knife could stab into her unprotected torso, forcing it into the conductor's own before shoving him back.

Eyes turned to spot Abel's grin as he rose from his seat in the next room. "You're a dead man…" Anna said, gaze remaining cold.

"And you took the bait perfectly…just like **he** had thought," came a voice that sounded nothing like Doctor Boskonovitch's supposed rival.

Anna squinted as she came close, gasping, realizing the truth just now. "You're not Abel…" She shot him dead just before he drew his gun, glaring at his corpse, as it lied sprawled on the floor. "And you're not alive either…"

She let out a silent curse before tossing her pistol against the wall. He was still out there, perhaps laughing at her right now that she had fallen for such a trick.

The hunt was still on.

'_You're good, sweetie. Real good. But I'm better…'_

* * *

Anna walked in silence, unable to rid herself of the ungrateful lump growing within her throat. She had nothing that indicated where Abel had fled…and worse off there was no telling what he was doing with the knowledge he possessed. His genius turned out to be greater than she anticipated. Even worse, she had not found out about G Corporation's plans or his involvement in their project. 

"This is agent Williams. Please, somebody, come in! Answer me!"

She did not get a signal from her communicator, her thoughts becoming even grimmer of what might have happened.

'_Damn that Abel.'_

At least the rain had ceased as she climbed over another fence in the ally. However, a rather unpleasant feeling came over her, kicking her senses into high alert. She could not help the feeling that someone was following…no…stalking her right at this moment. A turn back told her otherwise, nothing but the wind blowing through the narrow passages.

Then she heard it, the sudden rattling mixed in with a few footsteps splashing in puddles. She spun with gun raised, knowing this time. "All right, show yourself!"

There was silence before a brief chuckle filled the air, confirming the obvious. The stranger revealed a slight portion of his brawny body, the rest hidden in the shadows. "We meet again, Anna Williams. I knew some day I would find you." He lit in a cigarette between his fingers before taking a drag and expelling the smoke in a miniature cloud.

Her eyebrows shot up like twin rockets at the sound of his voice, finding it somehow familiar. "Who--who are you?"

He chuckled again, stepping into the light, that sinister grin hard to forget. "What? You don't recognize your old friend…Bryan Fury?"

Anna only managed two words before she lost the rest. "But you're…"

"Dead? Heh, far from it, doll face. You seem to have forgotten who I am. That night after I came to, I escaped. I knew it was only a matter of time before the C4 leveled the building. Somehow, I knew you'd escape to."

She shook her head, remembering his cybernetic abilities. "A bad seed like you should be dead and buried in a watery grave right now."

"We all have a little bad within us…**sweetie.**" Bryan mocked her with a laugh, aiming his finger at her. "Even you…assassin. There is no such thing as a good guy because nobody is truly good."

"I never considered myself a good girl," Anna said. "I even forgot to take a bath once before I went to sleep, and I used to lie to my parents about my report cards. But don't preach to me about something I already know. Bad men such as yourself always tend to do that."

He tossed the hooded coat off his shoulders, exposing the whole of his scarred face to the world. "I'm not as bad as you may think. I was a cop once, but even the force I worked for was more crooked then the thugs we were handling. They even tried to murder me and I… was one of their best." He ended that last sentence as he spat at the ground between them.

Anna did not allow his speech to distract her though. He was unpredictable in his actions, as she knew from their last battle.

"Tell me, is that right? To turn your back on one of your own? Hell, those gangsters were more my friends then they were."

Bryan continued, seeming to glower as he recalled these memories as he recited them. "Even the society we protected never gave a damn! Not even so much as a 'thank you' was given. But anyway, enough about me. What brings you to London, my dear?"

"Don't worry about it. How did you find me anyway?" Her eyes darted the area, ensuring no one else heard their conversation, an attempt to stall him.

Bryan took another drag. "You think I wouldn't notice a large flying object zipping through the sky like that? Most would have mistaken it for a plane or something, but I knew better."

His face. Anna had noticed it now. The flesh burned off the side of his face from the explosion was back somehow.

"I recall some of the skin off your face being burnt in the explosion. How is it back again?"

Bryan rubbed his cheek. "Skin regenerating mechanism. It takes time for it to grow back correctly. Otherwise, I'd look distorted like something out of a Picasso painting."

He swung a rather large bag over his shoulder and sat it on the ground, unzipping it from the front to display a massive chain gun that any lesser man would have struggled to lift. "I've been saving this just for you. Because you're special. Now that our little chitchat has ended, I'd like to know…how do you prefer to die?"

It was just as she thought. Anna leapt away, hands reaching for any tool that would prove useful.

Bryan snickered as he whipped out a pistol of his own. "Ever heard of armor-piercing rounds, sweetie?"

"Oh shit…" She muttered before she broke into a dash, missing the bullets that flew over her. Her head turned back, deciding to keep her eyes on him at all times.

He carried the chain gun with ease, the front spiraling in whirs behind the muzzle flashes. She did a jump to the side, avoiding the first spray. "What's wrong, assassin? Don't you wanna play?"

Her hand clamped onto the grenade in her pounce, priming it with a pull before throwing it and taking cover behind a dumpster. She felt the earth shake a little from the explosion before peeking out to observe the damage. Bryan Fury stood after the smoke cleared, unharmed and grinning. Everything had its weaknesses, but with this man, it seemed impossible to find them.

He unclipped a grenade of his own from his camouflage pants with an intent smile. Anna's eyes widened as he threw it her way, watching it land in the dumpster she stood upon. She leapt into the air and hit the ground knees first before the explosion could take her with it.

"Awww…don't go to pieces on me now!" came Bryan's taunting voice.

She sat up to strategize another plan, beginning to pant a little.

"You move too fast. I think I'll slow ya down a bit." He brought out a new gun and unloaded one shot that managed to make contact with her exposed flesh. Rather than bleed and scream in agony, Anna's body movements began to slow. Her vision blurred a bit, her legs feeling wobbly, as if drunk. She went into a slight jog to get away, still hearing his chuckles behind her catching up.

Before long, she collapsed on the hard, unforgiving concrete with a loud grunt. The tranquilizer dart stuck out like a fresh pimple before she removed it, the drug now in full-effect as her senses faded one by one.

'_He's…got me…'_


	6. Chapter 6

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**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 6 _**

----------------------------------------

There it was again: the beady eyes, the forked tongue, and the rattling tail signaling its intent to strike. It hissed in her ear, enough to make her shiver before its fangs penetrated her skin. A loud gasp and the reptilian monster vanished; nothing but a mere image projected by her thoughts. It seemed so real, though, and she wondered why these hallucinations had started to haunt her now.

Consciousness was coming back to her, her eyelids opening to a single ray from the burning sphere overhead. She flinched a moment, coming to sit on her knees, a relentless pain pounding in her head like a pair of drums. Sweat beads ran off the tip of her nose and brows like droplets of rain as she wiped her forehead.

Anna sat up from the asphalt, patting herself down, feeling the beat of her heart, the warmth of her skin.

'_I'm alive…'_

Grenade fragments, bullet casings, and a few soot stains here and there, proof of the battle that ended without a victor. Bryan Fury had vanished without a trail, leaving her stunned in wonder. Nonetheless, her wobbly legs got her as far as the alley's exit before she stumbled into the open.

Pedestrians stared from afar, as she fought the aftereffects of the sedation drug in defiance. Closing her mind to the gawkers, she continued, groaning along the way, overwhelmed by dizziness and nausea. She then collapsed in front of a store, looking up at the stranger walking out. He paused, just now taking notice of her. As he came closer, his visage became clear, gripping Anna's heart with shock and confusion.

_'It can't be…'_

The widening blue eyes, the swaying blonde hair.

"Miss, are you all right?" His questioning voice echoed through her brain as the drug's effect strengthened.

Not all this could be real, but his body, the feel of his touch told her otherwise before her vision blanked out like a switched off television screen.

* * *

Anna squinted, her eyes reopening once more, the rest of her senses beginning to return. The stench of garbage, the indistinct commotion, the rough surface of asphalt against her back; all these were no longer present. Instead, she felt an abundance of cushions beneath her as she gazed at her surroundings: tables, chairs, and a few home appliances. She was no longer outside.

Then, before she could ponder the rest of this, her ears caught the conversation from the room nearby.

"Damn it, you and your bloody heroics! Where do you get off bringing a stranger into our home? And it's a woman no less! Why not just call an ambulance?" The voice was high pitched, no doubt belonging to a woman at the end of her fuse.

"Oh come on, Claudia. You and I both know no ambulance is gonna come down here, especially in this neighborhood. That goes double for the cops." This one was masculine, thick with defense. "Besides, her condition wasn't **that** serious."

"I don't care. She better be gone by the time I get back." A door slammed, shaking the walls, confirming the end of the debate--for now. The other conversationalist sighed, no doubt frustrated by the scolding woman's words. His shadowed entered the room where Anna lied before he did, watching her from a short distance.

Anna uttered a soft gasp, seeing his features for the second time, that of her sister's son, Steve Fox. The memories were still there, ones she could not forget.

Many months before her disappearance, Nina had spoke of having a son though cryo-sleep. He had grown up in a world without parents, without any knowledge of his real family. There were more details to pursue, but Nina was less forthcoming in giving them. Her sister never shared such information before, but ever since the cryo-sleep experiment and the rescue from Kazuya's lab, Nina had been a little more trusting of her than usual.

"Glad to see you awake. Are you feeling better, Miss?" He did not seem to notice her shocked expression and if he did, he had been kind enough not to mention it. His gaze and manner of speaking bared no resemblance to that of her sister's, let alone his demeanor.

She stayed silent a moment, still wondering how this was possible. "Why…did you bring me here?"

"I couldn't just leave you there. Seemed wrong." He slipped into one of his shirts in the chair, covering up his exposed midriff and chest.

Anna shook her head. "Still, what you did was very unwise. I'm sorry, but I have to agree with your friend there."

Steve let out a slight chuckle. "Yeah, well, I can be very stubborn. I don't think things though…at least according to her." He said, no doubt referring to his roommate. "She even gets angry when I spare some money to a couple of vagrants."

"But you don't know me. I'm a complete stranger. Bringing me here could have led to consequences." Anna felt the pain sting at her temple again, forcing her head back into the collection of pillows.

His smile faded into a frown. "Heh, who are you, my mother? I'm a grown man and I can make my own decisions."

"You still got a year to go, kiddo." She rolled her narrowed eyes and expelled a deep sigh.

Steve than paused, one eyebrow raised as he stared at her. "Huh? How did you know how old I was?"

Her stomach tightened, unable to believe her tongue had just slipped. "You…you seemed young to me. Just a lucky guess." She hoped that would be enough, though she knew it was a horrible lie in itself. However, the look in his eyes told her he was not buying it; the same exact look Bruce often gave her when he detected deception.

Then she noticed his lingering gaze, a sudden level of discomfort settling in her abdomen. "Wha--what?"

"I'm sorry." He turned away, shutting his eyes. "It's just…when I look at you…you remind me of somebody."

His statement sent a chill up her spine, leaving her almost afraid to ask. "And who would that be?"

A sigh and he went to face her once again. "My mother…. My real mother, that is. You have her eyes." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

The subject was sensitive, but Anna could not help the question. "What is your mother like?"

Steve pouted with a shrug. "Hell if I know. I had been searching for her for a long time, and when I finally met her, she ran off without saying a word. I had so many questions, and she couldn't answer them."

Anna glowered and shook her head in knowing. "That witch. That sounds so like her. Nothing she does surprises me anymore."

He caught her anger, scratching his cheek. "Hm? What do you mean?"

There, she had done it again. "Oh… nothing." Anymore of that and he would have discovered something was amiss; it seemed too late though.

"Wait a minute…. You know Nina Williams, don't you? Don't you? Please, tell me!" His hands came about her wrists, the plea in his voice so evident. She swore he wanted to grasp her shoulders and shake the answers out of her interrogation style. Somehow, he held back.

Anna took a breath and nodded, finding no need to deceive him anymore. "Yes… I do know her."

"Who is she to you? A friend? Acquaintance? What?"

"She's my sister…" The words came slow and once they were out, she closed her eyes, unable to meet his expression. There was silence before he relinquished her wrists.

"You…you gotta be kidding. Is…is this some kind of joke?" He backed away, as if unwilling to accept the truth.

"No joke, sweetie. You…are my nephew. My name's Anna Williams. Strange, no? How we meet this way?" She smiled and tried to add a bit of humor, but could sense herself failing.

He scooted a little closer to her, hesitant as her gloved hands rose to caress his cheeks. Then he backed away from her touch. "No, you can't be…"

Before Anna could answer, Claudia had walked in, catching them off guard, noting the way they touched each other. "Oh, so this is what it was about? Getting your jollies on while I'm away, Steven?"

Steve sat up from the couch, waving his hands in defense. "No. Claudia. It's not what it looks like! We were just--"

"Making out on our couch?" She assumed the rest herself, head snapping at both of them. The dark glares, the mixture of emotions in her voice; all these said she was more than just a roommate to Steve. "I'm sick of you flirting with other women behind my back!"

"I would never do something like this to you."

Anna could sense the nervousness in his voice, knowing his explanations went unheard. They spoke as if she was not even in the room, using terms she never heard before. She attempted to speak in her nephew's defense, but Claudia would not hear a word of it.

Y-y-you…and th-this **hussy** right here. You both can go straight to hell!"

She tossed a few things at him before vanishing into the next room with Steve tailing close behind. The argument continued, muffled through the walls with both sides showing no sign of a ceasefire. Minutes later, Claudia stormed out with a suitcase in hand as Steve tried his best to persuade her to stay.

"I'm going to dad's. I'll send for my things!"

"No, wait!" It was too late. She was gone, leaving Steve to stare at the spot where she once stood, as if she were still there.

Anna let out a silent 'sorry' as his gaze swept back to her, seeing the anguish on his face.

"I can't believe she's gone." He seemed to want to shed tears, but none of them were present.

Guilt had hit her in more places then one as she watched him pace back and forth, grumbling to himself. Now would have been a good time to leave, but Anna's body stayed glued to the couch. He took his seat beside her again, burying his face into his hands.

"You really cared about her, didn't you?" Anna said, drawing knees to her chest.

He nodded with quiet 'yes' and turned to her. "So… you're my aunt, huh? Did we happen to cross paths so that you could make my life miserable?"

"Steve, sweetie…I didn't want it to happen this way. The cryo-sleep, the experiments. It's really tough to explain."

"So you know all about that then, huh? Do you know what it's like coming into a world and not knowing who your family is? Not knowing your parent's identities? Finding out you were spawned not from love, but as an experiment?"

Anna never knew the feeling, nor did she wish to experience it in any way. All these years must have been like torture on him and neither she nor Nina were there to do anything about it. "You have a right to be upset…but--"

"How long have you known? And how come you two never came to see me?" Steve rested his face on his palm, perhaps pondering his own question.

"I cannot speak for my sister, but I have a job that keeps me busy. Even my friends hate me for that. I've known for a while now, and I did intend to visit somewhere down the line. But complications tend to get in the way." Anna laid out her best excuse in a soft, clear voice.

"Fair enough." He sighed, head rising. "I just wish my mum could have been here. Sometimes I go to the alley where we met that day. Sometimes I like to think that maybe… she'll come back. I know it sounds silly, but that's how I feel."

Anna's gaze lowered, ensuring he did not see her slow headshake. The chances of Nina returning to him were slim. Upon speaking about son, her words were emotionless, as uncaring as usual. Richard was the only person she held such deep feelings for, and Anna did not have the heart to voice this to him.

"Do you know where she is?" Steve asked. "I would like to see her if that isn't a problem."

"Can't say. She tends to travel alone and she seems to like it that way." Another sigh, just mentioning her was rough on them both. No doubt more on him than her.

Steve stood in a stretch, perhaps concealing the rest of his emotions. A few minutes passed before he said anything else. "Come. There's something I wanna show you."

Anna was hesitant before she sat up and followed, the pain from the drug seeming to lessen. He led her to a certain room, flipping the switch to an assortment of gold and silver standing among several shelves. Her eyes widened in a soft gasp. "Are all these trophies yours?"

He nodded. "Yep. Claudia doesn't see anything special to them, but I do. These are all my accomplishments. I just wish somebody other than myself could be proud of them."

Anna turned to him with a slight grin, a hand squeezing his shoulder. "I'm proud of them, sweetie."

Steve smiled back, showing her a few photos of him capturing the Middleweight gold. "Claudia doesn't like me boxing. She hates it with a passion. Thinks it'll get me nowhere. But I never listened to her. Again, call me stubborn, but boxing is my life."

"You should go where your heart is." Anna said. "Mom used to tell me that."

However, something was not right, as she had realized just now. A famed boxer would not live in such an apartment like this. Nor would he live in since a rough neighborhood. "I don't understand. How did you get **this** way?" She gazed around with a shrug.

He sighed and frowned. "It was my own fault. My manager seemed to be cheating me out of the money I was making. So, out of anger, I punched the bloke's lights out."

Anna tried her best to stifle a chuckle.

"The media coverage that got was huge, and I was unable to focus in the ring. Eventually, I lost the title and suffered many losses that drove me down the ranks nonstop. Haven't been the same since. Lately, I've been the joke of many talk shows."

"So you decided to step away…" She finished the rest for him after piecing it together, his nod being the final confirmation.

"After that, I met Claudia and relocated to this wasteland we call a home." He reached his hands skyward in a mocked gesture. "But I'm willing to make a comeback. I'm training hard, but I'm not sure if I can recapture everything I have lost. I still have a dream… to hold the heavyweight gold… and I haven't fulfilled it yet."

"You will, sweetie." Anna patted him on the back, reassuring him with a smile. "You will."

"Do you mind if I show you something else?" He took her by the arm as he said this.

Anna found herself unable to refuse. "Not at all."

* * *

Steve showed her various slides dating back to his childhood, explaining each one in detail beside her. "Sorry if I sound so tired," he said after flipping through a another, "I haven't slept in days."

"It's ok." Anna's reply was silent, gaze more on him than it was on the slides.

Although she enjoyed these movies and the time she spent with her nephew, Anna could not help the masked frown. Her sister did not know how special a son she had and knowing her background, she probably never would.

Anna snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the gentle weight of something in her lap, the vibrations from one's deep breathing. She grinned as she came to notice Steve's head resting there, her fingers running through the golden strands of his hair. Looking at the clock reminded her she needed to go, much as she hated leaving him now. To stare at his body as it lied there on the couch made the feeling even more intense.

She leaned over and planted a soft kiss at his forehead, whispering in his ear. "Thanks for the good time, sweetie. It was fun while it lasted."

A deep sigh and Anna got one leg over the fire escape before the voice startled her like a firecracker. "So, you're just going to leave like all the woman do in my life?"

She turned to catch Steve's blank stare, sighing once more. Something like this she would have expected from Nina and not herself. Her hand gripped the pen and paper on the table before she scribbled everything down and handed it to him. "Here."

"What's this?"

"Whenever you wanna talk…just call." Anna pressed the paper into his hand before closing it into a fist. "Right now, I have somewhere I have to be and I don't have time to explain. I promise, when all this is over, I will return." They embraced, her nostrils savoring his scent before she descended the path of many stairs, waving him farewell as she continued on her way.

The assassin still had a job to do and no matter what… she was going to finish it.

* * *

Anna had covered two miles already before feeling the vibration within her pouch. She paused and smiled as she brought out the cell phone, holding it up to her ear. "Hey, sweetie. Guess you couldn't wait to call me?"

"You're right…I couldn't. Heh, heh, heh."

Anna's heart skipped a beat, a void within her stomach beginning to expand. The voice was gruff in its delivery, lacking the youth that was her nephew. She closed her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief.

Bryan Fury's cruel laughter amplified through the phone. "I got plans for you, doll face. And if you don't want anything to happen to Goldilocks here…I suggest you listen." 


	7. Chapter 7

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**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 7 _**

-------------------------------

"What are you talking about? How did you get this number…?" Anna questioned him in a stern tone, keeping the phone pressed to her ear so that she heard every word.

"Oh, I borrowed it from your nephew here who just happened to have it on him. Thought I'd call ya and say hello. Catch up on old times." Bryan snickered. "Thanks for leading me to him, by the way."

Anna's eyes narrowed, teeth clenched together. "Leading you to him?"

"Search the inside of your left boot."

She did so, detaching a small device from her shin she had just discovered there. "A tracer bug…" came her whisper.

"That's right. Planted it on you while you were taking your little nap." Bryan said. "Also allows me to eavesdrop on conversations too. Heard every word you two said… and I have to admit, it brought a tear to my eye." He then laughed as she realized the hard truth of the situation, hating herself for it. His laughter had her gripping the phone with a shaky grasp, wishing she could reach through and strangle him.

"It's kind of funny actually. Who would have thought, an assassin with a heart. Seems you're a rare jewel."

"Fury, I swear to god…you leave him alone." Her statement was clear, but she knew Bryan would not to back down from threats. "Or I'll send you back to the scrap heap where you belong, first class."

His tone shifted from elated to serious. "Don't test me, doll face. Keep mouthing off and I'll shoot him right here right now Old Yeller style. It'll be so bad he'll be in a body bag the next time you see him. Do you understand?" blared his voice.

Anna went quiet, trying to keep her temper under control, though she knew she was failing.

There was another chuckle over the phone. "I knew you wouldn't help me with my cause unless of course I had a way of persuading you. Figured keeping you alive, I'd find whatever that thing was."

Anna said nothing for a moment, her nephew the only thing on her mind right now. "Put Steve on."

She heard a muffled noise over the receiver. "Yes…" came his silent voice.

"How are you, sweetie? Has he done anything to you?" Anna exhaled a silent sigh, her heartbeat pulsating past its normal pace.

"Not really." He seemed to hesitate as he spoke, as if Bryan had control over his words. "Just took me by surprise. But I'd be better… if he took his pistol out of my face. Anna, what is this all abou--"

The receiver muffled once more as Steve's voice faded out, replaced with Bryan's. "All right, that's enough of that! Junior's not burning up the rest of my minutes."

Anna closed her eyes, groaning as she contemplated a way of negotiation. "What are your demands?"

He laughed again. "Oh, Anna. You make me sound so much like a criminal when you say that." Then there was a pause before the answer came clear. "I want Doctor Abel…"

"For what?" She boomed.

"None of your business!" He hissed, no doubt concealing some hidden agenda there. "Just bring him to me, and we'll make the trade." He took a breath before it converted into another chuckle. "Fail, and I don't think I need to discuss what we'll happen to Blondie here."

"Twenty-four hours." Bryan continued. "That's how much time you have. I'd do it myself, but this is a job suited for someone of your caliber. Abel can track my presence the closer I get to him, but not yours."

"But I don't know where to find him." Anna checked her watch, time seeming to speed up with the tick of every second.

"I do." He admitted in a firm tone. "I know how that old fart thinks and where he goes. There's only three places he can be in London. I'll send the information to ya through a text message."

"Just tell me now, Fury!" She shouted, her patience wearing thin.

"Don't think so. I wanna play a game first. It's been a while since I've had any fun." She could sense the enthusiasm increasing in his voice.

"I'm not in the mood for your games, Fury." Anna growled as the front of her teeth sank into her protruding lips.

"But you're gonna like this one. Involves a couple friends of yours."

"What are you getting at?" She stared down at the mounting traffic as she paced back and forth.

"It just so happens that I saw one of them earlier. Matter of fact, I'm looking at him right now. He's the dark, tall one with the Mohawk, isn't he? According to my files, like you, he was once involved in Kazuya's little faction, and you and him seemed to have formed a relationship since then."

Anna's mouth was agape, her stomach beginning to contract, as that brief description could not have been anymore clear.

_Bruce!_

"I could just go on in, beat him to a pulp, and with his last dying breath I could tell him his friend was the cause of his demise. Just because she wouldn't cooperate."

"You… better not…" came her broken reply.

"Let's see how fast you can race down here to save him. It's not far from where you're at. Just a few streets down leading into the martial arts school. Can't miss it." The dial tone finalized his last sentence.

Anna hung up with haste and sprinted for the location, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with the grace of a feline. She made her descent toward the streets after landing on a couple dumpsters to soften the fall. Her eyes narrowed at confronting the traffic, using the cars as stepping-stones to get across, ignoring the insults of drivers and passengers alike.

A sigh as she came to the window, seeing a group of small children within the building.

There was Bruce…flying into a wall with a harsh crash, the children watching the scene uttering panicked squeals as they kept distance. Bryan came into view, cracking his knuckles before he placed a boot to the man's throat and pinned him to the ground.

"Say goodnight, old man…"

With a primal shriek, Anna rushed in and drew her pistol, ejecting a stream of bullets into Bryan's back. To him, it was nothing more than a fleabite. He turned to her, relinquishing his foot from Bruce's throat with a sneer.

"Look's like you got here in time. Nice work." He hoisted a grenade in hand and tossed it at the floor. Upon detonating, a cloud of smoke spread itself through the room like a thickening fog, shrouding Bryan Fury. "Twenty-four, Williams." He reminded her, his echoing guffaw fading. As the smoke cleared, he disappeared, much to everyone's delight.

Anna frowned as she gripped Bruce's hand to help him stand. "What in the world was that all about?" He said, rubbing at his throat as he coughed a bit. "Just another ordinary day, minding my own business, and some random nut attacks me."

Already, people she knew were getting involved in her battles. It was only a matter of time before something catastrophic took place and she dreaded to think how that would turn out. "I can't explain much right now." She turned to leave, but he clamped onto her wrist before she got away. "Can't it wait?"

He shook his head, tone much like her father's when she was in trouble. "No, it can't. Just give me what I need to know."

Bruce relaxed a hand under his chin. "So, he's got your nephew and he wants the Doc, eh? Hmm…I didn't even know you had a nephew. Sounds like you haven't been making too many friends since coming here."

"I know. Look, I have to go. You and Ganryu should go some place safe. There's a chance he might try a stunt like that again." Anna brought out a fresh clip and chambered it into her pistol.

"Bruce Irvin don't run from nobody." He said, arms crossed in defiance. "But I decided to cut the lesson short and send the kids home in case that freak does come back. I came here to teach them while my friend was away. He didn't want to close the place since the kids are so determined to come here and study, so I'm filling in for him as a favor. But it doesn't look like I'll be doing that until things get back in order here. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Just be careful, Bruce. He's very dangerous." Anna whispered the warning as she rose from her seat to draw the grappling gun.

"I'm aware of the danger. You just be sure you be careful and come back in one piece." He squeezed her shoulder and smirked.

Anna's mind then rewound back to what happened the other night. "Bruce…about what I said earlier…"

"Don't worry about it, kid." He smiled and faced her. "It's behind me now. Just do what ya gotta do and get your nephew back."

He said nothing else, did not even bother to suggest tagging along this time.

After that, she took off, checking her cell phone for the directions.

* * *

The lock pick allowed Anna to enter with stealth, creeping into a room of ever growing darkness. With goggles now set to night vision, she began to explore her surroundings.

Cobwebs hung from some of the corners in the ceiling. Some of the machines had accumulated dust that Anna breathed in as she investigated. She contracted her stomach, applied pressure to her nose, and forced her mouth shut to suppress the sneeze, succeeding.

Electricity no longer ran through this place. An assortment of boxes stood in pyramid formation, containing a slew of equipment. She cut the investigation short as she heard a noise. A few light beams swept from wall to wall with an intimidating glow, prompting her to hide.

A gasp as she saw Doctor Abel enter with two guards following him in, both carrying automatic rifles with flashlights attached. Their uniforms had the G Corporation emblem imprinted on the side of their shoulders.

"I thought I heard something…" came the flat tone of the guard closest to him.

Abel came forth, surveying the area. "Bah, it's probably nothing. This place is old now, so something is likely to make noise here every once in a while. Let's just get the last of the equipment and get back to the other lab."

Anna eased out from her position in silence, blade drawn as she set her sights on one guard. On his blind side, she clamped a hand over his mouth to suppress a yell before drawing him back into the darkness with her like a haunting spirit.

Her knife silenced his voice, ditching the body before stalking the next one. Then she stopped, as she drew more dust particles into her nostrils. She repeated the technique used from before as she was within earshot of him. However, as she began to breath in relief, the sneeze caught her off guard and sounded throughout the room.

The guard turned in acknowledgement only to meet the same fate as his comrade. Abel was only a short distance away, back pedaling as Anna approached him. He backed up into nothing but solid wall, leaving him trapped in a spot where the only available exit was through her.

"You? How did you get--" Before he got another word out, she gripped him by the collar of his lab coat and posted him up against the wall as a schoolyard bully would a smaller child.

"You bastard!" She hissed. "If I didn't have to deliver you to Fury your ass would be dead!" Her grip strengthened with a shaky fist, struggling not to slam it into the side of his head.

His eyes widened with a gasp. "Fury? Bryan Fury? Oh god…. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I know one thing is for sure…you're coming with me. I've come for a package and the package…is you."

"You imbecile! He'll kill us both. Even if you give me up, he still won't give you what you want. I imagine he suckered you into doing this. Please…just hear me out." After his abrupt plea, Anna sighed and released him.

"Speak…" She ordered him with the point of her knife.

Once a little more calm, he obeyed. "Bryan Fury may be indestructible, but he can be stopped. Brilliant scientists like myself always have a backup plan in case one of their creations goes haywire."

Things could not be clearer. "You created him?"

"In a way, yes." Abel shuffled past her, shaking his head. "He was once human, but I reanimated him as a cyborg after he died. He was once my personal collector and hit man. You see, since childhood, he was diagnosed with a mental disorder and--"

Anna scoffed. "Oh, is that what you call it? I don't care what it is. He's got somebody hostage and if I don't bring you to him he's gonna be mailed back to me in a freakin' box."

Doctor Abel dropped his gaze a moment. "I wouldn't put it past Bryan to do such a thing. He was unstable as a child and he's still unstable now. But we can outsmart him." The remote control device flashed out from his pocket. "Use this. Pressing this button will shut down all of Bryan's circuits, immobilizing him." He paused before he finished the rest. "The downside is you have to be within ten feet of him for it to work."

Anna folded her arms, a scowl curling across her brows. "And I should trust you why?"

He grumbled as he tapped his wrinkled fingers together. "I don't like Fury any better than you do. He's expendable. Stopping him would benefit us both."

Anna knew she was taking a gamble, but for right now, she had an exchange to make.

"You've said enough. Let's just get this over with." She pressed the gun into his nape and shoved him forth. "Now walk!" 


	8. Chapter 8

-------------------------------

_**Fatal Instinct: Mission 2**_

_**Chapter 8 **_

-------------------------------

Her pocket vibrated, triggering a slow hand to reach for the cell phone before flipping it open. "Got the package?" came Bryan Fury's questioning tone.

She cleared her voice into comprehensible speech. "Yes." Anna answered, holding Abel by his collar in case he tried to runoff. So far, he had been rather cooperative with her. Perhaps he was confident that his plan would work. Of course, that remained to be seen.

"Good. Meet me at Holland Park within six hours and we'll make the exchange."

"One last thing, Bryan…" She glanced at the doctor with an intense glare.

"Hmm?"

"Steve better be ok." She warned him with a snarl. "Cause if he's not, I'll sever Abel's head from his body and you won't have anything."

The threat was audible enough for the old man to hear, but he gave no reaction to it. His wrinkled, liver spotted face nothing but a blank stare.

After a loud muffling noise over the receiver, all she got was a dial tone again. As glad as she was about getting her nephew back, she could not help the suspicion beginning to settle in. There was the possibility that Bryan would not make good on his promise and instead double cross her somehow, not that she trusted him anyway.

Then she thought nothing of it as she prompted Abel to move on.

* * *

The sound of the water rippling in the transparent pond. An endless array of colorful flowers blooming with the rest of nature. All this had brought Anna to a different time where she was younger, sniffing roses in the garden with her mother. However, as that sweet scent began to fade from her nose, so did her thoughts of happiness and youth. She was older, wiser, and those images she had just seen were nothing more than memories now. 

The sun was setting in the distance and she had no doubt the man approaching her was the cybernetic commando himself. It was as if he had brought the darkness with him, the sky becoming black just from his presence. One armed, he carried a motionless Steve over his shoulder and dropped him on the ground at his feet.

Wha…what did you do to him?" Anna angled her head at Bryan, his gaze instead aimed at the other man.

"Hi…**dad**. Long time no see." He said with a widening grin.

"Bryan…" Abel muttered, voice seeming to be frozen with fear.

"Oh…so you remember my name now?" He stepped forward and over Steve's body to come closer. "Do you also remember how you abandoned me like I was some cheap prostitute? I spent all that time in Ziabatsu captivity just to get that data for you like you requested. And after I get it and send it back to you, you just drop me like I'm yesterday's newspaper?"

Doctor Abel stepped away, unwilling to meet the other man's gaze. "You should have been dead by now. You are useless to me."

Bryan grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him several inches off ground. "And you'll be dead if you don't fix me up, you decaying piece of shit! My body is deteriorating and you're the only man for the job. I spent a lot of time tracking you down and I'm not coming up shorthanded."

Anna took advantage of the distraction and crept over to Steve, checking his pulse. He twitched at the feel of her touch and sat up, moaning as if he was just recovering from a hangover.

"Are you all right?" She whispered, putting a finger to her lips to warn him to stay quiet.

He answered in a soft voice with a slow nod. "He… drugged me a bit, but I'm okay. Just need rest."

Before she could help him to his feet, Abel called out to her. "Now Anna!"

Recalling the plan, she brought the remote device out from concealment, got within range, and pressed the button. There was the expectation that he would either fall to his knees or go limp as a noodle after the circuits shut down. Either way did not matter to her as long as it neutralized him.

Bryan gave little reaction, just staring at her before his face contracted into a sneer, in wonder of what she was attempting. She pressed it again and he stood unaffected.

"Silly girl." Abel smiled and reached for the grenade and unclipped it from Bryan's pants. An over brightening flash of light hit her eyes as he tossed it at the dirt. She covered her face, unable to see nothing but an immense harsh glow of white.

"Hey, what gives?" Bryan cried out in a pained groan, leading her to believe the light had blinded him too.

"It's a dud, Williams." The doctor confirmed her guess as he chuckled. "It was never supposed to work, just make you feel like you're in control. Ha, you really are as gullible as I figured."

Then came the whir of a helicopter, her ears hearing the leaves blown around by the gust it emitted as she felt it too. Abel's voice faded as her vision started to return in blurs. "And now, I bid you two farewell."

She tossed a tracker bug of her own up in the air, watching it attach itself to the skid of the helicopter before it could fly off. It was much too far to try to shoot down and a standard pistol would not have had much effect anyway.

Her gaze lowered to Bryan as he knelt, uttering a pained groan similar to that a dying animal. The realization came to her. By the sound of his rapid breathing, he did not have much time and he no doubt knew this too. Never before had she seen him look so vulnerable, like a wounded lion dangling on its last thread of life.

He stood to shake it off, pointing a finger at her with a strained voice. "We'll settle this another time, doll face." He continued to curse Abel's name as he followed the direction where the helicopter had flown.

Anna did not stop him, instead taking Steve into her arms as if he were a small child. She sighed as she watched the helicopter's ascension again, eyes narrowing.

* * *

Anna spread the covers over her nephew's body as she watched him sleep, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a moist cloth. Her lips went into a frown the moment he grunted from her touch. The guilt began to surface again, of getting him involved in something he had no place in. 

Ganryu's hand came to her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself for this." He said, as if reading her thoughts.

"How can I not?" She closed her eyes and sighed. "Anyway, I made up my mind. I got a lock on the signal on Abel and I'm going after him. I have to find out what he's up to."

Bruce spoke up after a moment of silence, easing his back off the wall. "Something tells me your gonna need some help. You should let me come with you…that's if you want me to." He turned away, leaving it all up to her to decide.

Anna thought back to his talents and how he could be of use to her. "You already know what my answer is. You have a niece to take care of. Think about her."

He nodded. "I already did. But I can tell that whatever he's got cooked up is going to affect us all, including her. From what I can gather, anybody on your hit list usually poses some kind of threat. Moreover, I'd feel better if I went to prevent that from happening. Sitting around and doing nothing just doesn't cut it for me."

She thought long and hard about this as she was used to going solo on missions. However, there was Abel's craftiness to consider. With this mission came risks, yet Bruce seemed to know enough of that already.

"What do ya say, kid?"

She looked up and sighed, finding herself at a dead end as the last thing she needed now was another argument. "All right…"

"Really?" He slapped her across the shoulder. "Alright! You won't regret this."

'_I hope not.' _She thought, looking away from him.

"Even if you had refused, I would have gone anyway." Bruce added in as she gave him a sour expression. "But boy, this is going to bring back old times. But… what about him?" He pointed to the sumo wrestler who had not said a word since they began their discussion.

Ganryu stared at the window, head bowed a little as if he were deep in thought.

"You ok, sweetie?" Anna awaited his answer, receiving it in a weak tone.

"Come. I wanna tell you something."

She took one final look at Steve before following the larger man to the shaded side of the room, sitting next to him on the twin-sized bed. "I didn't actually come here to see Julia, Anna. I came here… to make amends with somebody. It's been so long since I saw **her**."

"Her?" She asked, one eyebrow cocked.

"Yes." He conceded with a slow nod. "One of the many people I let down, someone I lied to. She said I'd be nothing more than an arrogant liar. That I didn't care for anyone but myself. I met her after Michelle and before Julia."

"Well, did you make amends?" All ears, she eased closer to him. From the look he gave, she knew the answer to expect.

"No. Her brother said she died a few years ago. Heart attack. Didn't say how." No tears, not even a whimper, but she could sense he took this hard.

Her gaze went distant, head bowed in the same way he had his. "Oh, I'm sorry…"

"For so long I wanted to show her that I was a changed man. Now I'll never get that chance."

"Why would she say such things about you in the first place?"

He cleared his throat and sighed once more. "A long time ago, I used to fix every one of my sumo matches in my favor so that I would always win. I would often cheat to the point where it became a habit in every competition I entered. Heh, I thought I was a smart cookie back then."

"What happened?" She rubbed her gloved hands together.

"One day I was caught and banned from the ring. But, before that, I met some fans. They idolized me at one time and seeing the looks on their faces made me realize what I had become. My lies…my deceit made them think differently of me. I felt less like a hero and more of a villain." He shook his head, disgusted by his previous actions.

"Oh…"

"But not just them." He continued. "My family as well. I had dishonored them and they hated me for it. She had pointed that out to me from the start, but I never listened."

"Well, you realize that now. So things can change, right?"

He had been quiet for almost thirty seconds. "Anna, your still young. I don't want you making the same mistake I once did. Eventually, it's going to hurt those you care for in some way or another. One day, you'll see yourself losing everything…and then you'll be alone…like me."

Words spoken from the heart, yet Anna had nothing further to comment on. Such a moment was rare, as Ganryu had never bothered to share his past before, at least not like this.

More silence before he got to the point. "Lying does nothing but make it worse, Anna. We're supposed to trust each other. That was the deal the three of us made long ago when we were just Kazuya's underlings. But how can we trust each other when you won't? If you want me and Bruce to be cooperative in the future you're going to have to stop lying and trust us more."

Anna took one long look at herself, almost speechless to his statement. Even before her career started, she had fed people many mistruths that seemed harmless at the time. However, at the expense of her dishonesty, someone got hurt one way or another in the outcome whether it had been family or friend. If anything, all this deceit she had become accustomed to was going to have to stop.

"I…never knew." She did not face him as she said these words. "I've been so attached to things… I guess I had forgotten about that."

"Anna," Ganryu began with a clear pronunciation of her name, "I wanna come with you and Bruce…to help."

She looked up, mouth agape. "What? Why?"

"I lied to the world. Perhaps helping save it, I will atone for what I have done. I don't want any recognition, just as long as I know I did something right for once."

In addition to this, Bruce brought himself back into the conversation after clearing his throat to gain their attention. "I think it's best the three of us go. Abel's gonna be quite a handful, even for you, kid. We may be behind our prime but we can still lend a hand. Besides, danger never meant a thing to us before…and it certainty doesn't now."

"Agreed." Ganryu nodded. Odd, seeing as how these two never agreed on anything before.

"I managed to dig up some more info on this Abel character through the net." Bruce began. "Pretty popular in the underground world. Years ago, he was working on a project involving an advanced robotic being. Of course, the people sponsoring him cut back on the funding and ditched him at the last moment after they found out he was a bit of a crackpot."

"So I assumed." Anna stroked her chin. "He made Fury into a cyborg. Seemed they had some sort of relationship after that. However, it seems now they're no longer in bed together."

"Fury is the least of the problem now, kid. The doc's the major." He stared at the phone at the bed stand. "I'll see if I can find some transportation for our little field trip."

Ganryu turned back to Anna. "Do you really think we can take this guy?"

Anna glanced at a small bag she had brought with her from home; it contained a prototype given to her by Bonskonovitch. "I have something that might come in handy."

"We should not waste time. I just hope my gun skills haven't rusted." Ganryu stuck out his arm, his palm facing parallel to the floor. "What do you say, guys? Partners?"

Bruce placed his palm atop the sumo wrestler's in the same fashion. "I'm game."

Their eyes then shifted to Anna, both silent, awaiting her to follow suit. One last pause and her hand came atop theirs, smiling. "Well, boys… looks like the clique's back together."


	9. Chapter 9

**-----------------------------------------**

**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 9 _**

**----------------------------------------------**

The plane engine roared to life, the propeller going into a never-ending spin as the twin wheels rolled it forward. Minutes later, the aircraft took flight into the sky. Anna peered out the side window as the air pressure built up in her ears. The higher the altitude, the smaller things below looked.

As she sat next to Bruce while he piloted the plane, she inspected the weapon and ammunition she had brought along. "So your friend doesn't mind if we borrow this? We might not bring it back in one piece."

"Nah. Alec's cool. Owes me a favor, anyway. He was a pilot working for Kazuya when we met, and he still flies occasionally just for fun. I'm just thankful he lives in Europe now." He glanced at her with a blank expression. "Excited?" No doubt he was referring to the mission at hand.

"Not really, but sometimes I get a kick out of it." She stared at her watch and sighed. "Not like this is a first time experience for me. I do this for a living of course."

"You don't like the fact me and Ganryu are tagging along, do you?" He sounded as if he could read her thoughts, keeping his eyes focused forward.

Before she could give her say, Ganryu interrupted her. "What did you do to Steve? Do you think it was wise leaving him there alone?"

"I snuck a couple sleeping pills into his water. Extremely potent stuff. They help me sleep when I can't. He'll be out for a while, and I trust he'll be fine."

"Good." Ganryu paused and eased his head in between them from the backseat. "I was thinking, what if…we don't make it back? Not that I'm doubting us or anything."

Anna scratched her temple. Every time she took a job, she knew there was a chance she might die. Like most grim thoughts, she did not want to think of it, especially now. Luck was not always on her side and instead she had to rely on her skills to get her through these high-risk situations.

"We'll just be dead, Ganryu." Bruce snapped, being as blunt as possible.

A change of subject was in order to steer the conversation toward something more pleasant. "I didn't know you knew how to fly, Bruce. You never told me."

His face showed nothing. "Hey, when you're in Kazuya's militia, you tend to pick up a few things."

"So I've heard." Anna looked below at the ocean sparkling beneath them as the sun's reflection materialized within it. "Signal's getting stronger on the tracker I planted. We must be close. We're several miles from civilization." Over the Atlantic, no less.

"I've been thinking." The ex-mercenary began. "Did Abel relocate after he joined G Corp? You said he had another lab, but he shut it down and moved all his stuff out. Any idea why?"

Anna leaned back, hands folded behind her head. "From what I can put together, he was afraid Fury would find him there. He had no other choice but to move out. What he doesn't know is Fury knows how to track him down."

A scowl crept over Bruce's forehead. "When we catch up with the sleazy bastard, he'll have no where to run."

She turned her head at him. "You make this sound so personal. You've hardly met the guy."

"It is personal, kid. Anybody who's got a problem with you automatically has a problem with me. You know I always got your back. After what he did to you, oh, you know I'm just dying to kick them dentures down his throat."

"I must say, Anna. These combat vests you gave us are great. It's amazing they can fit almost anyone."

She could see Ganryu caressing the Kevlar chest plate through the corner of her eye. "Yeah. I just happen to keep some spares handy in case something happens to mine. Mine is very expensive and they don't just hand them out to anyone."

"I'm surprised she managed to find something in your size, Ganryu." Bruce smirked, as did Anna while Ganryu scowled at them both.

"Okay, fellas." She put an end to her laughter and displayed a more serious look. "Back to business. Just remember the promise you guys made. Don't tell anybody what you know about me. If my superiors find out, they'll kill you both to conceal that info."

"We won't tell a soul, Anna," stated Ganryu. "I've taken an oath. You have my word."

Bruce nodded in confirmation. "I see his base of operations up ahead. I'm taking us in low. Hopefully, he's not expecting us."

Soon the entire facility complex emerged as they drew closer, standing tall and bold on an island just as Kazuya's compound once did. "Uh…I think it's too late for that." Anna pointed a finger at the automated turret that had just turned its attention to them. Her muscles tightened and without a word, Bruce righted the plane out of its line of fire.

"So much for going in undetected!" Bruce called out, teeth gritting as his grip fastened on the controls. "Hang on!"

The turret fired another burst of shells, missing them again as Bruce steered out of harm's way. However, another emplacement gun poked its head out of hiding to aid its active double.

"Oh shit. Oh shit." Anna uttered as she felt herself glued to her seat.

The plane shifted in various directions on approaching a runaway to land on, coming down hard. The tires screeched once they made contact with the pavement and with all his might, Bruce brought the aircraft to a jerky halt.

Anna looked out the window. The turrets had ceased fire. "Perhaps he wants us to come in." She thought aloud while pushing the door open. Everyone seized all the equipment needed and jumped out.

Ganryu's gaze swept over the place. "I don't trust this."

A couple shudders then clanked open behind them, expelling an infantry of G Corporation soldiers. Armored with flak jackets, helmets, and bearing assault rifles. Their welcome started with guns aimed and firing.

Anna dove for cover without a second thought and Bruce and Ganryu accompanied her.

"Nice welcoming committee. Let's show them our appreciation!" Bruce pulled the pin with his front teeth and chucked the primed grenade over his shoulder. During the explosion, she heard a myriad of grunts and screams that confirmed his throw had been true.

She peeked up a little to find a mess of corpses scattered about and beyond them…more infantry seeking revenge.

Anna picked off the first few with her machine pistol while Bruce aided her with his assault rifle. Both unleashed a barrage of ammunition that pierced through the protective glass of the helmets, guns flaring from the muzzle flashes.

"Get down!" Bruce barked at her and she did as he chucked another grenade over to where the enemy kept charging. Some scattered to dodge being caught in the explosion. Others were too late to do a thing as the impact threw them back. In less then five minutes, the outside of the complex had become a battlefield.

"Abel sure is giving us some tough resistance!" Ganryu called out over the gunfire whizzing over their heads.

"I'll say." Bruce added, reloading his weapon. "These guys keep coming like bugs drawn to a picnic!"

Anna took a moment to realize the shooting had died down. Ganryu's gaze looked forward before lifting up. He said nothing, but the expression alone told her something had caught his eye.

"What? What is it?" She asked.

"Incoming chopper!" blared one of the soldiers as they continued firing where the trio had taken cover.

"That doesn't look like one of ours. Shoot it down!" yelled another.

In the distance, Anna could make out a helicopter flying toward the complex. With abrupt motions, the turrets turned to position themselves. The helicopter then righted itself before aiming and firing two surface-to-air-missiles at the twin gun emplacements. The vibrations generated from the explosion were massive, shaking the side of the building.

Anna stood and pointed. "Who the hell is that?"

"I don't know who he is, and I don't really give a damn, but I like him already." Bruce shot more rounds at distracted soldiers before ducking back into a crouching position.

The helicopter then took aim with its auto-cannon and cleared out the rest of the resistance with punctuated shots. Anna and the others remained in hiding as the aircraft landed a short distance away. Once the door slid open, the pilot stepped out, all sorts of weapons and ammunition strapped to his body like a soldier at war.

"Oh no…it's Fury." Anna whispered.

"Oh Abel!" Bryan called out in a singsong manner. "Come out and play-ay!" He cocked and brandished a pair of submachine guns. "Just wait 'till I find you, old man! I'm gonna shoot you once, then twice. Then, while you're bleeding to death, I'm gonna shoot you again!"

Anna patted both her friends on the shoulder, voice low so Bryan would not hear them. "He doesn't know we're here. Let's keep it that way. Maybe we can use him to get us inside without him knowing it."

"Come out here and face me like the pussy you are!" Bryan screamed at the complex as if it would fulfill his request.

Bruce whistled and shook his head. "That is one pissed off cyborg. Check out the serious heat he's packing."

"All right, Abel. Have it your way. Since you won't come out, I'll just have to blast my way in." Bryan went back to the helicopter and yanked out a bazooka. Taking aim, he blew a hole through the shudders and smiled. "Say your prayers, old man."

"Anna…" Bruce murmured her name.

She looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Before Trigger-happy Harry showed up, our chances of making it through this seemed slim and nil."

"Uh-huh? What's your point?"

"I was thinking that with him perhaps we could improve those odds by creating a bit of a stir. I'm sure they weren't expecting this. A confused enemy is more easily played…as every assassin knows."

She smiled and patted his cheek. "I like where your mind's at, sweetie."

As Bryan walked in, the group of three followed him as far behind as possible. Already, Bryan had demolished sentry-bots and surveillance cameras in just seconds, making their job much easier. The smell of unloaded bullets was strong, the ground and walls blackened with soot.

The hallways here were narrow but short in length. Each room possessed heaps of equipment and automated machinery needed to fulfill whatever it was Abel intended to accomplish.

Anna's ears picked up gunfire and clamoring from the east hall where she last seen trace of the cyborg. The west seemed much safer and was quiet, but there was still a mystery as to where it would lead. Bruce and Ganryu provided cover for the rear as she directed them from the front. Just before they could get any further, a small object rolled into her path.

Anna looked down and gasped. "Frag!"

Arms locked underneath her armpits and pulled her away just before the grenade could take her with it. She looked over her shoulder to find Bruce holding her, exhaling a relieved sigh. "Time somebody saved your life for a change, kid."

Ganryu pointed ahead at the sound of heavy footsteps advancing toward them. "We got company."

Weapons redrawn, they shot at every human being that looked likely enough to pose a threat. More bullets came from the other side in retaliation and Anna put her back to the wall. Bruce peeked around the corner for her and shot another few rounds before withdrawing again. She hated these intense firefights as they tended to last long and consumed precious ammo that she might need later.

The ghost seemed clear now. Anna could no longer make out anyone firing from the opposite side of the hall. She kept her weapon aimed straight ahead at anyone that might jump out for a surprise ambush.

Then a foot rose up from the corner she approached, kicking her pistol from her grasp. The assailant rushed forward and pushed her against the wall, pinning her arms against there as well.

She spotted the silvery gleam in his hand as he brought the end blade to her throat. Her own hand fastened about his wrist to stop its ascension. Both grunted while induced in this physical tie up.

One leg raised, she kneed his abdomen, and forced him to bend over as a groan exploded from his lungs.

She took hold of his arm and bent it back to where she heard an satisfying crack. His tormented yells prompted her to bring the knife to his throat now. "Where's Abel?" Anna hissed into his ear. He just whimpered and she strengthened the grasp she had on him. "Don't make me have to ask you again."

"Ah…next…next floor up." The soldier fell to the floor once she let him go.

Bruce appeared from the side, with Ganryu tailing him. He looked down at Anna's handy work and whistled, even chuckling a bit. "Damn. What'd he do to piss you off?"

"Never mind that." She panted, recovering the gun she had lost. "Our primary objective is upstairs."

"So what are we waiting for, then?" Bruce advanced a few steps forward, assault rifle pointing at their destination. "Let's go take him out. That is, if Fury hasn't already gotten to him first."

Anna nodded and continued to lead the way. "Agreed, let's finish this."


	10. Chapter 10

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**_Fatal Instinct: Mission 2_**

**_Chapter 10 _**

--------------------------------------

There was a double windowed door leading out of this hallway far up ahead. No telling what lied beyond it, but she was willing to take her chances. Anna was the first to reach it and pass through before she heard the loud, mechanical hiss that prompted her to turn around. The door had clanked shut by itself, much as the automatic ones found in shopping malls and hotel entrances when a person walked through.

Her hand pulled as hard as she could on the knobs to try to get it to open; it would not, hinting Abel had some kind of mechanized lock intact.

Bruce and Ganryu were doing the same from the opposite side to get through, but even they were unsuccessful. The thickness of the door muted their screams and grunts as they combined the strength of their bulk and rammed into it. Their attempts again proved ineffective, as the door would not even budge.

Anna motioned with her hand and mouthed that she would go on without them and they would meet up later. Of course, she groaned at the idea, as she would not be able to keep an eye on her comrades in case something happened. It also meant no backup, but with her being accustomed to working solo, it did not sound as bad.

Still, there was Abel to consider and then Bryan Fury going trigger-happy in the hallways. She took a breath and went forward, noting the darkness swallowing up any remnants of light. The room seemed to get tighter the further in she went. Then came that feeling of being alone, where anything could happen at any moment.

Not long before a familiar voice boomed through the P. A. system.

"It can be truly said that every rose… has its thorns." Next came the raspy cough that confirmed its authenticity.

Anna looked up with a hard gaze. "Show yourself, Abel." She looked around as if he would appear from the shadows.

"I'm having too much fun, Williams." He laughed with a wheeze. "I think I'll enjoy the rest of the show from this view."

"We're going to find you, old man, and when we do--"

"Ha! I'd like to know just what you were thinking. Anna Williams, the seemingly invincible spy, bringing in two wash-ups who should be in a retirement home somewhere. You must be really brave, or really stupid to think those broken-down has-beens can help you."

"At your age, you shouldn't talk." She spat back, hand gripping tight around her pistol. "You wouldn't talk so big if you weren't hiding behind a speaker box."

Abel scoffed. "I have every right to be confident, young lady. Things are going as they should, and you can't change that. It's too late."

Anna wondered what he meant by that. It could mean anything, yet she had no true way of knowing unless she reached the doctor and got him to talk.

"You're not invincible at all, Williams." Abel said. "You're like every other human being. And beneath every other human being there lies but one thing: weakness."

"Bold words from a man who can't show himself. I'm surprised you're not having a panic-attack when you've got a psycho running loose in the halls looking to murder you."

"Fury will be dead soon and he will no longer be a factor. All I have to worry about is you, my dear. You weren't at an issue back at the bunker because you didn't know what was going on, but now that you've gotten this far, I'm not going to underestimate you." He spoke low, as if he had nothing to fear now. "This isn't like the facility you destroyed months back."

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "How did you know about that?"

"What if I told you I was involved in that? What If I told you that I was the puppeteer pulling the strings?"

She pondered and shook her head. "Kazuya wouldn't obey you, or anyone else."

That was when Abel laughed again. "Maybe not Kazuya himself, but his clone might."

"Clone?"

"Do you really think the man you fought back then was the real Kazuya? Naïve girl." He laughed some more. "If that were so, you wouldn't have survived. That clone did everything it was told. So, in reality, I had control of the Mishima estate. All he had to do was infiltrate the Zaibatsu, kick Heihachi out, take his place, and then it was smooth sailing from there. Nobody suspected a thing."

'Great. And all that time I had thought Kazuya actually changed. A pity...'

Now it started to make sense, as it explained how Anna was able to defeat Kazuya. However, she still did not quite understand something. "But that Kazuya had the Devil Gene…"

"Ah yes…the Devil Gene." Abel spoke as if he were thinking aloud. "I couldn't fully copy the Devil Gene, and that resulted in the clone being a bit weaker. The defect also had an effect on the clone's personality, causing him to act somewhat different compared to the real thing. He's pretty useless now since he served his purpose, so he'll likely be dead like Bryan too."

"What did you do with the real Kazuya and why did your clone capture my sister?"

"What did I do with Kazuya? I did nothing. It was Heihachi who threw him into a volcano. I had cloned him before that. To my knowledge, he's dead, and that means one less nuisance to worry about. As for your sister, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid for it."

Anna had heard enough. "So not only do you create mechanical psychopaths and abandon them once they've fulfilled their purpose to you, but you also try to play God to cover up your dirty work."

"You watch your mouth!" Abel snapped, his voice sounding like it was about to break. "What I do isn't dirty, you misguided wench. It's going to benefit the world. You'll see!"

"Highly doubt anything you do is beneficial to the world." Anna glared and scoffed. "You'll cause more problems than solving them."

"I've had enough of you and your smart mouth!" The doctor blared. "Since you like to pretend to be so brave, let's put it to the test."

"What are you going on about, old timer?"

Abel's laughter displayed his confidence. "Back at the bunker, I asked you how you felt about snakes."

Anna could feel her abdomen beginning to constrict.

"Looking into your mind, I saw an image of your sister brandishing her pet snake in your face. It was said to be harmless…that is…until it bit you."

Then she looked down after she heard a noise, seeing something slithering out of one of the pipes. The rattling tail, the beady little reptilian eyes, and the sharp fangs. Anna's eyes opened wider than they had ever done before, her feet taking several steps back.

"I'd like you to meet my pet, Williams. He's been really wanting to meet you." Abel guffawed. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted."

The limbless reptile slithered its way toward her still feet. Anna drew her gun in a shaky attempt to shoot it. It hissed and impelled its head toward her hand, its forked tongue poking out of its scaly mouth. Then she made the mistake of dropping her pistol as she pulled it back to avoid being bitten. The situation turned bleaker when she discovered her secondary gun needed reloading. There was no time for that now.

A grenade might work if she could get some distance, but the snake was not willing to let her pass to try.

Cold sweat ran down her neck, teeth clenched as the little green demon got closer, only a few feet from her heels. She started to breath hard, then took a forced swallow. The memories of Nina laughing after the snakebite were upon her; thoughts of dashing up to her room and locking the door, never wanting to come out; thoughts of never wanting to make contact with any reptile of any kind.

"You've tormented me since I was a little girl--but no more!"

Again, it lunged forward to bite her, and Anna had somehow found the will to kick it with her steel clad boot. The snake flung back, regrouped, then let out another angry hiss at such aggression.

Anna hissed too, waving it on with a daring glare to come try to bite her again. It did, and once more, she kicked it like it was a soccer ball coming straight at her. With the opportunity there, she dive rolled for her pistol, made an abrupt turn to her blindside, and aimed. The snake readied itself for another lunge, but she shot it dead before it could strike again.

Anna fell to her knees, panting, saliva oozing from the corners of her mouth. She stared at the floor, then at the dead snake. All those daydreams, all those endless nightmares she suffered after the bite on her arm from years ago. She hoped this would end them, to never have them haunt her again.

Even though she had conquered one of her greatest fears, she still did not feel victorious. The snake was but only a minor obstacle in this battle.

* * *

The lift door pinged before sliding opening. Nobody had come in and nobody had come out. All had gone silent thereafter with the exception of the instrumental jazz music from the radio. 

A lone guard peeked his head in to investigate, observing both sides of the interior. Soon as he looked up, Anna pistol whipped his cranium and dropped down from the ceiling she had clung to since entering.

"Lights out!" She said as he lost consciousness in a slumped position against the wall.

Anna dashed out just before the door closed itself back, then crept the rest of the way into the shadows where she could remain hidden. More clamoring and gunfire sounded at the far hall where glimpses of light flashed.

Not knowing what to expect from it, Anna reloaded her weapons and crept in closer for a better look. The wide screens and computer terminals within indicated this was a control room of sorts. Further inside, she noted the cause of the violence.

There he was, the scar-faced cyborg, using the combination of an Uzi and a rifle to clear him a path. He smiled at the number of bodies dropping under his sweeping fire.

Abel was on the other side of the room, running toward Anna's way, perhaps to try to escape.

He stopped in his tracks just as he saw her with hands at her hips. "You're gonna have to come through me first, big boy." She taunted.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Bryan blew away the smoke trailing from his rifle. "You ain't got anywhere else to run, old man."

Instead of showing signs of worry, Abel smiled. "Seems I've let you two wait long enough."

Before Anna could question him, a violent rumble shook the entire room. The walls around them seemed to come alive, revealing capsules, dozens of them. They opened up like pods and out walked what they contained; glowing red eyes, muscled bodies clad in military fatigue, and expressionless faces.

"What is the meaning of this?" Bryan screamed.

"Why, this is my cybernetic army." Abel replied. "The technology borrowed from Boskonovitch, G Corporation, and the Mishima labs helped a great deal to create what you see before you. After all, I should be thanking you, Fury, since it was you who had a hand in giving me the data."

"You son-of-a-bitch! You were intending to replace me with these… these things?" Bryan cocked his guns and pointed them at the doctor.

"Why not? I have more than one, and they are very reliable. Not to mention, unlike you, one hundred percent obedient and never question my orders."

The cyborg turned to his counterparts, seeming to shake his head in pity at each of them. "You all are fools to follow this man. Eventually, you won't mean a damn to him and he'll abandon you too…just as he did me!"

None of them reacted to Bryan's words, remaining stiff as statues.

Abel laughed. "It is you who is the fool, Fury. You were becoming weak and useless. I don't need you in my life anymore since I have a new family that will serve me well, creating the cybernetic utopia the world was meant to have."

Anna continued to listen in until she heard something click behind her, looking over her shoulder to see the metal of the gun aimed at her face. One false move and she would suffer the cruel fate of having a bullet lodged in her forehead.

"Looks like you both lose." Doctor Abel chuckled. "But don't fret. I'm sure they will hold a small memorial service for you in Ireland to honor your heroics."

However, Bryan smirked and started his maniacal cackle despite the odds pitted against him.

"What's so funny?" Abel said, seeming annoyed by the man's continuous laughter.

"Typical doctor, always thinking you're steps ahead of everyone else." Bryan grinned. "Explain to me this, you lying son of a bitch." He flashed the colored tubes he held in his hands. "How are your children going to listen to you without these?"

The look on Abel's face changed from confident to shocked. "How…how did you get that?"

"Oh, I just so happened pick these babies from your pocket. From what I understand, this is the serum you need to control your precious cyborgs fully and keep them from rebelling, correct?"

Abel balled his trembling, wrinkled hands into fists as Anna noted the rage flaring in his veiny eyes.

"I'm quite the actor. Don't you think so, dad?" Bryan snickered.

A moment later, more guards came in groups, kneeling and taking aim. Before they even lined up their shots, bullets came flying from the opposite side of the room past Bryan.

Anna beamed when through the fading clouds of smoke came Bruce and Ganryu, alive and unwounded.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Bruce said.

"Better late than never, guys!" Anna smiled, then glared at the man holding her at gunpoint. "Hiii-ya!" She shouted, releasing the force of her foot into his groin that had him keeling over. A backward roll and she was on her feet again, assault rifle redrawn.

"Kill them! Shoot them all dead!" Abel screamed with urgency as he ran off.

"Hey, come back here, chicken-shit!" Bryan called after him, only to have two cyborgs stand in his path like two solid brick walls. "You two girls wanna dance? Let's dance!" He jumped on the first one that provoked him, arms clamping about its neck before he twisted and ripped the head off as if it were a bundle of weeds. The second had Bryan's hand implanted into its torso before he yanked out the wiring, screws, and other metallic pieces. The red flare in its eyes dimmed and died out as it slumped forward and fell to its knees.

Anna looked to join in on the battle, but the sensation of an iron hand fastening around her throat delayed that idea. With all her might, she thrusted the sole of her boot into the cybernetic being's chest. Every hit made felt like she was kicking at a wall sheathed in stone. Her pistol came to mind, but it would do her no good.

She then went for the head, landing five precise kicks before its grip loosened and she jumped back. Its movements were slow as it approached her like a zombie, but she knew it was much faster than it was letting on.

Ganryu soon emerged behind it, grabbing and hoisting the cyborg high above his head with all his strength. All this time, Bruce and her had made jokes about his weight, yet he was lifting that thing as if he was Mister Universe. The veins in his arms bulged and lengthened, his flesh reddening before he tossed the mechanical creation into another.

Anna liked what she saw, but paused at the sound of an agonistic cry, her heart pacing fast in response. Bruce had backpedaled toward cover, holding his arm. Anna rushed over to guide him there, sitting him up against the wall. A couple smoke grenades kept the opposition away to buy them some time. In addition, Ganryu provided cover for them from the front.

"Let me see." She motioned to his arm.

"No, it's nothing." He said with a pained grunt.

"Damn it, Bruce. Let me see it!" Anna pulled his hand away and saw the bloody wound, the crimson fluid staining his camouflage pants. "Shit. That doesn't look good."

"It's nothing. Nothing at all. Don't--don't worry about it." Bruce groaned, as if the pain had worsened.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you here." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a bandage, the guilt cutting into her like a knife.

"Anna!" He roared, stopping her hand from touching him. "Now is not the time. Go after Abel." His finger pointed where the doctor had fled. "Don't let him get away. I'll be fine…trust me!"

Trust.

There was that word again.

"But…" She wanted to utter a protest, but the words never came out. So many things happening at once prevented it.

Bruce's glare seemed to show his impatience, his voice straining as more blood dripped from his arm. "Anna, listen to me: you are about to fail your mission. Is that what you want?"

Her eyes kept diverting back and forth from his face to the exit, trying to make a decision fast.

"Be a woman of your word." He said, almost as if he were giving a plea. "It's… all you have."

Her eyes narrowed as she stood, looking at her comrade one last time before sprinting toward the room's exit. One guard blocked her path, ready to turn his gun on her.

Then she heard a charging scream, watching Ganryu crash two hundred and seventy-six pounds of his weight into the other man's body. The impact sent him into a nearby wall and laid him on his back. "Get going, Anna!" Ganryu bellowed. "We'll take care of these grunts."

Anna gave him an agreeing nod and continued her way.

* * *

'_Now, Abel, we finish this!'_

The chase brought her to an open room clouded by whitish smoke like the fog of a jungle.

She saw nothing else, heard nothing else but her breathing. Thermal goggles could not pick up a thing.

Then Abel's voice came from somewhere near, echoing as if they were in a cave. "This doesn't change a thing, assassin."

Anna scoffed, aiming her pistol in every conceivable direction. "Soon this will all be over and you will have lost."

"The ball is still in my court. I have lost nothing." He said. "The cyborgs destroyed are replaceable, and as long as this compound is still standing, I will continue to develop more. I will not give up my dream!" His voice was so passionate, so rebellious.

"Then maybe it's time somebody woke you up and gave you a reality check." She managed a smile, still scanning the room for him. No signs of movement about the area.

He growled. "I believe you are the one needing a reality check."

Anna paused and could not help but giggle. "Oh really? How so?"

"Glad you asked." There was laughter in his voice. "I have a satellite aimed directly at three targets on the planet set to fire within minutes: G Coporation's main building, the Mishima Ziabatsu, and…your institute!"

"Wha…" Her mouth went agape.

"Yes." He began, that signature confidence coming back. "In order to be successful, one must eliminate the most obvious of threats capable of causing problems later on. Minutes from now, your superiors, Heihachi, and the entire body of G Corporation will be but a memory."

Anna could feel her weapon sliding out of her grip, but she caught it before it could fall and hit the floor. "I don't understand. Why would you eliminate your own partner?"

"I only aligned myself with G Corporation to steal their technology and add it to my creations since doing it the other way would have been impossible. In all honesty, I don't really care what happens to them. Heihachi, Bryan, G corp, all have fulfilled their purposes and are no longer needed."

"You bastard." Anna balled her hand into a gloved fist. "You're nothing but a user."

At last, she could note Abel's silhouette coming out of the hazy room, hands behind his back. Here was the man who had peeked into her mind to see her deepest most personal thoughts. The man who had abandoned one of his own creations like a child without direction. The man who had a part in the capture of her sister months back. The man who had orchestrated all of this pain she had gone through. The man who was going to pay…with his life.

"G Corporation offered me quite a deal, more so than what Heihachi was paying me. Never was quite a fan of his anyway and I always hated him for belittling my dreams. G corp wanted my brains to help them in their war with Heihachi. Obliterate him and his business, but that wasn't my concern."

"Your primary concern is standing right in front of you." Anna's gaze was cold as both her eyes settled on his scrawny form. He had nowhere to run. Not anymore.

"There is something I wish to show you, assassin." Abel removed his lab coat and allowed it to fall to the floor. The mechanical suit underneath that was the size of his own body glimmered like a priceless gem. "I'm sick of playing the role of a decrepit old man. Tired of running. Tired of pretending to be…inferior to you."

Anna noted the way his eyes lit up like headlights of a car, the metallic design shown in his flesh. Then it all came clear. "So, you're a cyborg too."

Abel nodded. "Humanity is a thing of the past, obsolete and unacceptable. You get sick, you get old, but with this body, I can live longer and continue with my work without worrying about age being a nagging limitation."

"You've played many a fool with this charade of yours. Sounds like you had fun doing it."

"I must admit I did enjoy pretending to be but a feeble human, waiting for the right moment to reveal... the real me. There was no need to reveal myself then since I knew neither you nor Bryan would harm me given the situation at hand."

Anna got into an aikido stance, glaring the man down without a word said.

"These are your final moments of living, assassin. I hope you've lived a good life," Abel drew the saber from its sheathe on his back, its blade flickering to life with an eerie, humming green glow, "…because now…it's the dead-end for you!" 


	11. Chapter 11

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**_Fatal Instinct _**

**_Chapter 11 _**

**---------------------------**

The door had locked behind her on its own, sealing off any attempts of escape.

Abel rushed her, taking one massive swipe that would behead her. Anna ducked just in time to miss the saber, its hum growing louder in her ears. She rolled on the ground, getting some distance between them, thinking up a plan.

"Has the inferior Williams sister had enough?" Abel grinned, mimicking her aikido stance.

Anna glared at the scientist, then saw him break into another charge. He closed in on her within seconds, his legs moving in blurs with the sudden increase of speed so unnatural for an old man. Yet, he was no longer an old man, but a machine bent on her destruction.

She crouched and rolled away again as the pace of her heart quickened, hearing his saber pierce solid wall. Had she stayed there a little longer, he would have impaled her torso.

"Quit playing around and offer me a challenge, Williams." He said, jerking his saber from out of the wall. "I want to test my powers against a human opponent, prove to myself and everyone else that not even the greatest human alive can top a cybernetic being."

The more she moved around, the more she understood why Abel had chosen this room for their duel. She could not see through the smoke fogging the place; it gave her surroundings a bit of grainy appearance like an old fifties film. To his advantage, he could hide away unseen and take her by surprise at anytime.

Just as she feared, he encased himself in the fog and vanished. She heard clanking; the rhythm of it started out slow, then sped up and loudened within seconds. To her left, Abel emerged from the fog with a jump-kick resembling her own. The blow missed as she crouched to avoid it. Then she followed the evasive maneuver with a leg-sweep. Abel's body made whirring noises as he eluded her tactic with a duo of back flips. Landing on his feet, he spread his legs apart in a kneeling position.

Her guns were useless in this battle. In fact, every other weapon she had strapped to her suit was. She backed away as Abel got closer. Before long, he stopped and flashed that cocky smile. "Might as well give up, assassin. I've seen the inside of your mind. I know everything there is to know about you."

"You don't know a thing about me!" blared Anna as she maintained her stance.

"Oh, but I do." He held one finger up to make his point. "I know your fighting style, the training you received, the man you work for, and I know all about your past. Quite amusing, really. Behind all the dresses, fancy makeup, and gadgets, you're just a scared, lonely, depressed, little girl in a grown woman's body."

Anna tried to tune him out, but Abel kept talking as if he spoke nothing but the truth. "Your abilities will never surpass that of your sister's no matter how jealous of her you get. Deep down inside you wish to be better than her, yet you know you never will." He chuckled and pointed his saber at her. "You're too soft, like your father said, that's what limits you."

"Shut up! He was wrong about me, just like you are right now!"

"Touchy subject, huh? The man never showered you with love like he did your sister, did he?" His tone was teasing her now. "I guess when you're the neglected brat in the family, it's expected."

Anna's brows knitted into a scowl at the mention of her father, front teeth biting into the lower end of her lip. Abel was only trying to get inside her mind to throw her off guard. She did her best to ignore him, but her jaw and hands still trembled in anger. "Are you done yet? Stop flapping your gums and show me what ya got."

"So the lady wants a quick demise. Very well." Abel smirked again. "Even though you are the softest Williams of the bunch, you still love the thrill of a fight."

"Today, Abel."

He dropped the smirk, displaying a more serious expression. Anna sunk her weight into her bending legs, anticipating him to rush her again. Her hand fondled her suit for a grenade, then she cursed under her breath.

She was fresh out.

Abel looked ready to charge again, but did not. Instead, his feet rose from the floor, as if he were levitating. Jet attachments sprouted out from his legs, his body hovering around her in mockery. He held up his saber like a harpoon before jetting himself in her direction.

Anna ducked, feeling the air current of him breezing past her.

Then, at this moment, the door banged behind her. She kept all eyes on the scientist in case he would take advantage of the distraction, but she could not help remaining curious. There was another bang and this time it caught her attention as it loudened. A fist soon punched through the metal alloy and tore a hole through as if it were made of cheap construction paper.

Bryan Fury stepped in, a rifle held at his chest. "Did you forget about--huh?" He focused his stare on Abel and grimaced. "I knew I smelled something fishy about you at the park."

Abel folded his arms and scoffed, floating downward. "Yes, Bryan, I am what you are now. I was getting sick of my old body, so, as you can see, I added a few 'enhancements' to it."

"Cyborg or not, I'm still going to murder your ass!" Bryan dashed past Anna toward Abel, leaving a breeze that cooled her face. Their hands locked into a grapple as if they were wrestling each other. The two engaged in a power struggle, attempting to push the other back as the ground beneath them began to crack and chip.

"You… were… supposed… to be dead by now!" Abel growled, attempting to use his saber, only to have it swatted away out of his grasp.

"Sorry to disappoint you!" Bryan said, his grunts menacing. He appeared to be winning, backing the scientist into a hazy corner. However, as Abel neared the wall, Bryan groaned, dropping to one knee, his screams indicating excruciating pain. It could not have come at a worse time for him.

"My, how the tables have turned." Abel smiled in satisfaction before he bionic-kicked his creation down to the floor and on his back. His boots to Bryan's abdomen were relentless, each blow seeming to have more impact than the last. He seemed to enjoy this as he laughed and seized Bryan by the forearm. "I brought you back to life, gave you power, near invincibility, gave you the gift of being a cyborg, and this is how you repay me?"

"You…you double crossed me, you-son-of-a-bitch!" Bryan's head lowered though the screams, his body beginning to slump.

"Heh. You'd do the same if you were me. Don't act like you wouldn't have killed me when the chance came. You may have been loyal for the time being, but you would have betrayed me eventually. Your thirst for power was too great, and there was a high probability of you trying to take me out that I refused to overlook. " Anna made a dash for Abel to intervene, but stopped the moment he turned his head to acknowledge her. "Feel free to jump in at anytime, Williams." He said with an amused grin.

She wanted to do something. The man was weak and showed no signs of making a comeback. Yet, though all this, Abel continued his assault.

"I'm tired of your excessive interference!" He drew his light saber again, and Anna had no choice but to watch in horror as he sliced Bryan in half from his midsection. Blood sprayed along with little fragments of metal spilling and clattering everywhere.

Anna's mouth was agape, staring as Bryan's upper-half twitched where it had dropped and lied. His legs and feet did the same before they ceased to move.

"Goodbye…son." Abel shook his head and closed his eyes before refocusing them on her. "Now, shall we continue where we left off?"

She could not take her eyes off Bryan's legless body. "But…he was your own creation …"

"Was." Abel said, raising his arm as it transformed into two cylinders with a gun nozzle at the front. Already she could smell the gas the cylinders contained, foretelling what was about to happen. "Best you worry about yourself, now." A tiny flame ignited from the gun nozzle before it shot a stream of fire at her. The heat intensified, warming her skin, intending to spell out her demise.

Anna leapt out of the way, running back, forward, and around the room to avoid him incinerating her. Abel would pursue her everywhere she went, as if this were but a simple game of cat-and-mouse. Her throat was dry as she made every effort to dodge the flames, the sweat sticky in her pores.

She tried to run again and that was when the unexpected occurred; a sudden inward twist surged through her ankle as she stepped on an uneven surface in the floor. It brought her to her knees, the pain tormenting her as she cried out in agony.

At that point, she realized he had her cornered in one of the walls shrouded by the fogy haze as her back touched against it. Abel had that smirk, that triumphant smirk that insinuated she was as good as dead. The only thing her mind told her she could do was sit here and wait for it all to end. Any chance of getting out of this seemed impossible.

Then she heard the noise, something rolling toward her still feet.

_'A grenade…'_

She picked it up, head turning to where it came from; there she saw Bryan Fury, eyes filled with desperation, his head nodding for her to use it. It had come to a point where he realized she was his only chance at revenge against the now cybernetic scientist. It would not do much damage, but it would make for a nice diversion.

Anna nodded back to him, tossed the grenade at the growing flame, and rolled away like a barrel to avoid being caught in the blast. She heard and felt the explosion shake the entire room like a violent earthquake. In front of her, she found Abel's saber inches away, still emitting its bright radiance.

She glowered at the figure coming through the thinning black smoke, not a single scratch on him; not that it surprised her.

"Have you forgotten I'm no longer human?" Abel snarled with the reminder and ran toward her lain body. He sprang into the air and made a harsh landing on her stomach. Anna let out a pained yell, before his hard, mechanical hands wrapped about her neck in a suffocating choke. "What's the matter, Williams? No witty comeback? No threat? No parting words?"

"Just…a few." came her choked voice, holding up her right gauntlet to activate the mechanism built in. The sticky foam did its job, ejecting right into Abel's face and eyes. He groaned, the diversion granting her the little bit of time she had. She gripped the saber by its hilt and jabbed upward, cleaving through the armored chest and torso of his exoskeleton. "Adios. Boskonovitch sends his regards."

Abel went motionless, his eyes wide, his mouth hung open before he fell on his back after releasing her throat. Getting some of her oxygen back, she made another swing that detached his head from the neck of his body. Sparks flew out with the blood spill as Anna watched Abel's head roll across the floor like a can that had fallen off the kitchen counter.

It stopped on its side, Abel making his smirk as evident as possible. "I haven't lost…. I haven't lost…. I haven't lost." He sounded delusional, as she had reduced him to nothing but a talking head. Then his eyes pointed up to see her casting a shadow over him, yet he smiled. "Don't think you've won, assassin. In time, you will come to understand why. You are still inferior and you will amount to nothing!"

Anna made a shaky attempt to stand, delivering the final blow with a primal shriek. She drove the saber through his head; pieces of microchips and wiring scattered everywhere. "Like I said, doc… 'you don't know me'." Her pants were so rapid she could feel her chest heaving beneath the kevlar bodysuit.

She gazed at her gauntlet.

_'I owe you one, Bonskonovitch.'_

After looking down at what remained of his corpse, she discovered a word written on his wristband…no…a name.

_'Lara.'_

She fell on her hands and knees, letting out a loud sigh, crawling over to the man who had helped her.

Bryan's eyes fluttered opened with a grin. "Looks like we won't get to have our rematch. I at least wanted to face you… one last time. To see… who's better." His voice was weak, getting smaller the more he spoke. He turned to Abel's corpse. "My hatred for that fucker and his treachery kept me alive long enough to see his end. He gave me power…made me feel… important again. Now he can rot… in hell where he belongs…if there is a hell."

Anna tossed the saber away. Here lied the man who had tried to kill her more than once, kidnapped and threatened to cause harm to her nephew and sister's son. Yet, despite how heavy those facts were, she could not help but feel sympathy. He had been through so much, and now all he received for his brief stint of heroism was death.

"Guess this…is it." His hand reached up to touch hers but did not make it all the way. "Farewell, doll face. See you…in…the…afterlife." He chuckled. The red light faded in his eyes as they closed one final time, never to open again.

Anna turned away, no longer wanting to look as for once in a long time she had seen enough death. It was over…at least the battle was. Yet, there was still the matter of the satellite Abel had mentioned earlier. She limped to the door Bryan tore through, finding Ganryu and Bruce there. The timing of their arrival was perfect. Bruce had a torn piece of cloth wrapped about his arm covered in bloodstains.

"You okay, Anna?" The sumo wrestler asked, helping her steady herself.

Bruce peeked through the door. "Good grief, kid. What happened in there? Did you have a party and forget to invite us or what?"

"We gotta stop that satellite." She told them both through grunts and moans, trying to walk, only to stumble again with the surge of pain.

With their assist, they took her back to the control room where the battle with Abel's cyborgs had begun. Anna stepped over a G Coperation soldier's lifeless body and observed the place; the walls had holes in them, and some of the machines had cracks and dents and were incapable of functioning properly.

"Everyone's dead. That Bryan guy literally destroyed every one of those robots." Ganryu said to her. "He was actually a really big help. We might not have made it without him."

Bruce took a seat in one of the chairs stationed by the massive computer screen in front of them. He punched in a bunch of keys and pulled up a menu, displaying the countdown for the satellite's firing. A huge green and black map of the world's seven continents expanded across the screen. Glowing spheres highlighted the three targets. "Aw hell. We only got five minutes and fifteen seconds!"

"Do something, Bruce!" came Anna's shrill command. "That thing is aimed to fire at the institute!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!" He screamed back in frustration, typing some more. "Damn, I can't get through. Abel's got the freakin' thing locked with a stupid password!"

"A password?" repeated Ganryu.

"Do what you can, Bruce. Hurry!" Anna urged him, the tension shaking her entire body. She knew yelling and putting pressure on him was not going to do anything. Yet, it was all she could do now with lives at stake.

Bruce put a finger to his sweaty forehead, taking a deep breath. "Okay, what would Abel use as a password?" He asked himself. He typed in a few guesses and received the typical 'access denied' message. "Shoot. Okay, how about this?" Trying another, he got the same result. "Damn."

"Wait." Anna put a hand to his arm, remembering the name she found on Abel's wrist. "Try Lara."

"Lara?" He asked.

"Just do it!"

Bruce tried it and to their delight, it worked.

The speed he typed at quickened, the confirmation beep putting an end to the countdown.

Everyone sighed. Anna had no clue who or what this 'Lara' was, but the name had helped her. It was all she cared about at this rate.

"Guess all those computer classes I took came in handy." Bruce laughed, resting his chin on his hands. "Boy, the things I did back in the day sure have their benefits."

Anna paused after she laughed too, realizing what she needed to do. "Sorry to break up the celebration, guys, but before we party, we better nuke this place." Even with Abel gone, she had to be sure of things. She faced her American friend, hand at his shoulder. "Still got that C4, sweetie?"

"Oh boy. Here we go." Ganryu mused aloud as he cast a long glance at the man beside him.

"Sure do." Bruce admitted, beaming at her in mischief.

"Wanna make some noise?" She asked him.

"Thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Outside there was not a single cloud in the sky. The view was pleasant. Yet, Anna did not appreciate the heat from the sun while thirsting for a cold drink. Bruce started the engine of the aircraft they borrowed and brought it into the air. He flew it over the sea and at a safe distance away from the complex. It took him a minute or so to get used to the controls. 

"Wanna do the honors, Miss Williams?" He waved the detonator in his hand for her to take.

Anna smirked and pressed the button, watching the entire building explode and sink to a watery grave. Hunks of broken rock and debris floated atop the sea before disappearing. It was like seeing fireworks on Independence Day, only it was not dark out with a huge crowd to witness it with. Her communicator beeped for the first time in a while.

"Quiet, guys." She hushed Bruce and Ganryu before answering the voice of her commanding officer. "You know, it's amazing how you seem to call right when the fun's over."

"We had some technical difficulties getting through to you. Is everything all right?"

"Things couldn't be better." Anna winked at her companions and gave them the a-ok sign with her fingers. "Oh, and you should be thankful for me saving your life just now." She giggled, playing with a messy strand of her hair.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story, sweetie. I'm still catching my breath here. I'll brief you in a little bit."

"Okay. What of G Corporation and Abel?"

"Abel's been taken care of. I made certain this time. G Corporation's intentions were just to defend itself from the Zaibatsu in case they staged an attack. In other words: mission complete."

"Good girl. I look forward to hearing more. In the mean time, stay in touch."

"Will do. Over and out." She shut the device off and looked at the two men staring back at her. "So, what do you fellas wanna do now?"

Ganryu pumped his fist in the air. "I say we eat!"

Bruce let out a weary sigh as he steadied the aircraft with the throttle. "I got a date with a shower and a new change of clothes. I don't think I ever wanna go through this stuff again."

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "Too much for you, Irvin?"

"'Fraid so." He nodded. "I'm too old for this. Think I'll leave the crazy stuff to you. I mean, I thought I was crazy, but damn, Anna, you're one crazy gal."

Words could not express how happy that made her when she heard it. It was about time he came to that conclusion. Perhaps experiencing it was the only way for him to understand.

Now that the danger was over, they could head back to the hotel. She could not wait to see Steve again and tell him of her adventure. Yet, as she thought of this, Ganryu's voice echoed in her head. "Say Anna, what happened to that Fury guy?"

She closed her eyes before smiling again. "He's at rest now." It was all that mattered. She could not say anything else. "Now come on, I wanna take a shower too, Bruce. The faster we get back the better."

"Well hold on to your panties kiddies because you're in for one hell of a ride."

Just as Anna braced herself, Ganryu's smile began to fade into a frown as he turned his head. Something bothered him and she had a good idea what. She walked over to him and gave him a slap upon the knee, her voice soft. "Hey. Think you made your old friend proud up there?" Her gaze went to the ceiling with his.

His frown deepened. "Hope so. It's a shame cause I'll never really know. Maybe what I did was stupid, but at least I feel good that I helped someone."

Anna smiled and took a seat beside him. "Well, sweetie, I think you proved to her you're not just a stubborn, arrogant oaf. And," she turned to Bruce as she said this, "you proved to me and him that you're not the tub of lard we tease you to be."

"I guess that's a plus." Ganryu started to smile again. "Kumiko…would be pleased."

Anna's eyes broadened. "That's her name?"

"Yes…"

"Old flame, huh?"

"No. Had a crush on her, but it didn't amount to much. We could have had something, but she wanted to just stay friends. Maybe…maybe I'll see her again someday."

"You will, sweetie. You will." She shot a look at Bruce. "Full speed ahead, matey!"

"Aye, aye, captain!" He said, giving her a hand signal.


	12. Chapter 12

----------------------

**_Fatal Instinct _**

**_Chapter 12 _**

-----------------------

Half a dozen filled the empty stools of the bar in less than a minute. Some would smoke cigarettes while others chose to ask for a drink.

Anna sat in the middle of the cigarette-polluted air and indistinct clamor, listening to the laid-back house music easing her mood. She expected Bruce to smoke a cigarette with the other patrons, yet he had not even bothered to reach into his pocket.

"Not up for a smoke today?"

His eyes rose. "Hm? Oh, nah. I gave it up for Elisa's sake…and mine."

Ganryu had bits of crumbs spilling from his lips as he took huge bites of his sandwich. Through the comical chomping sounds he made, she could see the bread crumbs dotting his face.

Anna sighed.

Every few minutes she would gaze at the wall-mounted television screen and take a sip of her strawberry daiquiri through the bent straw. Her bandaged ankle still swelled with pain, and she had to use crutches to get around. On most occasions, the healing process took four-to-six weeks. Since returning, she had to put ice on it as well as keep it elevated. Bruce and Ganryu advised her to rest and stay off her ankle, but sitting and doing nothing was too boring for her to bear; they figured it was up to her and left it at that.

Before she could turn to the door again, she felt a tap at her shoulder; it was Steve.

"Hey, sweetie." She struggled to stand and embrace him. "What took you so long?"

"Doesn't matter." He said with a smile. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"I guess that's all that counts." She took his hands, frowned, and massaged them. "Sorry for bringing you into all that mess."

He seemed unaffected by it. "Wasn't your fault. I'm just glad its over. So, how long are you gonna stay here?"

Anna sighed, looking down at his sneakers. "Unfortunately, our flight leaves tonight. We're going home legally this time. Right, Ganryu?" She laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. He almost dropped his sandwich and held onto it tight.

Steve frowned. "That's a shame. Wish you could stay more. I'd like to catch up on things."

"Don't worry. I'll come back and visit. You still have my number, too. Maybe next time I'll drag Nina's stubborn ass along for the ride." She got a snicker from Ganryu. Bruce kept his stare on the television as it cut to commercial. "Well, sweetie, we better go pack." Her rear rose off the barstool, feeling the harsh draft underneath her skirt.

When he hugged her, she did not want to let go. Here she could smell the soapy scent in his hair as she brought her lips to his cheek. She wanted to stay and spend more time with him, get to know the young lad that her sister did not. It felt like she would never see him again, although she knew she would.

Bruce and Ganryu stood with her, yawning and stretching from stiffness and fatigue. Bruce gave her a nod, a sign asking if she was ready to leave. She nodded back to him and planted a few more kisses on Steve's face. "You be a good boy and behave yourself. You're a Williams, so act like it." Her mouth went to his ear, whispering. "And don't tell anyone my secret, k?

"Sure thing, auntie."

Anna smiled.

_'Auntie. Has a nice ring to it.' _

"I'll be leaving the country soon." Steve added in. "Gotta gal that's waiting for me."

"Yeah?"

"Yup. I call her…boxing." He smiled and chuckled. She did the same.

"You two wanna cut down on the mushy crap so we can get going?" Bruce interrupted as he slanted his eyebrows. "I still gotta pick up Elisa from the babysitter when we get back."

"Yes, sir!" Anna imitated the stance of a military soldier, gave Bruce a mock salute, and waved farewell to her nephew.

"You take orders from this dinosaur?" Steve asked her aloud, pointing with his thumb at the seasoned veteran.

"Watch your mouth, kid." Bruce retorted with a glare. "Don't think just because your Anna's nephew that I won't kick those pearly whites down your throat. Show some damn respect." He hissed.

Steve had a smug smile on his face. "Easy, pops. Don't bust a vein on my account."

Anna grasped his hand and began pulling him to the door. "Bruce, sweetie, you're holding us up. Come on."

He gave Steve another hard glare before walking out. Anna waved to her nephew again and followed Bruce outside on her crutch. When she noted they were alone, she looked behind them. "Where's Ganryu?"

He grumbled with his arms folded, flicking his head in the direction of the door. "In the john. Don't be surprised if everyone comes running out here gasping for air."

They both laughed at the joke as it lightened the mood for both of them. They had not laughed that hard in years.

Anna stared at Bruce as he picked the lent from his shirt. Then she rubbed his hand to gain his attention and grinned. "'Member when you and I first met?"

He raised his head, smiling. "Yeah. How could I forget? Ol' Kazuya was giving ya a hard time over something and I took the blame for it."

"And it wasn't even your fault to begin with. That was sweet." She said, looking at a few cars that passed them by on the road. "We actually owe Kaz a bit of thanks." As shocking as it sounded, it could not be farther from the truth.

His eyes seemed to still in confusion. "For what?"

"Well," she picked a piece of skin from her fingernail, "he kinda introduced us to each other. If it wasn't for him, we probably would not have met."

He nodded. "Spose you're right." Next, he laughed. "'Member when you and Ganryu met? You almost kicked his ass when he accidentally ate your lunch."

"Yeah, but he was so sweet. Apologizing and giving up his own lunch to make it up to me." She swung her arms back-and-forth, as if she was doing an aerobic exercise. "Ahhh, memor—ah!" She almost fell after letting go of her crutch, but Bruce caught her by the waist.

"Anna," his tone of voice changed, "about what I said the other night…I…I didn't mean those words." He had his hands behind his back, scraping his foot against the sidewalk.

Anna's expression converted into a pout, recalling the event like it was yesterday. "That really hurt, Bruce."

"Didn't mean for it." He rubbed a hand at his Mohawk without making eye contact with her. "Those painkillers really got to me. I got so freakin' irritable by everything I couldn't think straight. I was so tired and messed up. My doctor told me I get too stressed out and advised me to take a vacation and get away from the stress, hence apart of why I came here. "

It was just as she thought. "You took them for your shoulder pain, didn't you?" She watched him with interrogating eyes.

"Yes, but how did you know about that?"

"Ganryu found out about the surgery and told me. You really had us worried there. I know you like to think you're invincible and have everyone think the same, but you should tell us these things."

He took a short walk away from her. "I couldn't help it. The pain was really nagging at times. I was so upset when you were keeping things from me that I didn't wanna tell you about my surgery. Guess my ego got the best of me."

"What if Elisa knew? What if the kids who looked up to you knew?" Anna did not even give him the chance to answer. "Speaking of Elisa, you really didn't think about her. Coming with me almost killed you. She could have been left without an uncle."

"I know that, Anna." He said with a tinge of irritability and guilt in his voice. "That's why I stopped taking the pills when I realized what they were doing to me. I feel bad enough I took them unprescribed. Elisa's got it rough. She doesn't need it any rougher."

"You were rough on me, you know."

"Yeah. I just felt you went back on your promise, kid. I mean, I had other women friends before you and I never could trust them because they lied to me and didn't have my trust. After I met you, I grew to like you because you weren't like that. That's why I made that pact with ya."

"But Bruce, there are things I have to keep secret. You can't be mad at me for not telling you certain things about what I do for a living."

He gave her a slow nod. "I have come to understand that there are things you can't always share with me about that. I was just being stubborn and the pain killers didn't help."

Anna had her back turned toward him, silent.

"So, do you forgive me?"

"I guess." She shrugged. "Under one condition: you never do anything stupid like that again."

"Deal. You wanna shake on it to make it official?" Bruce extended his hand to her.

She looked at it. "Nah, that's fine. I trust you." Her eye winked at him.

"Cool. Then it's settled." He leaned back against the wall, arms folded behind his head.

"Good. Then I believe I owe you something."

"What?"

Anna limped over to where he was and stood on tiptoe, inching her lips toward his cheek. Then, soon as his guard was down, she delivered the hardest slap she could muster to the side of his face. A small echo had followed with the impact.

He rubbed the side of his cheek where she had hit him, wincing some. "I guess I deserved that." She slapped him three more times, each one faster than the last. "All right, I guess I deserved those too."

It hurt to do that, but she felt she had every right to. "Damn right you do. Now we're even." Giggling, her arms went around his waist. "I love you, Bruce!" She said in a singsong voice.

He looked at the people walking past them as did she, their faces giving off awkward stares. "Um…same to you, kid."

At last, Ganryu stepped out, also giving an awkward stare at their public embracement. "Did I miss something?"

Bruce put his arm around her back to return the hug. "Not a word from you, Ganryu."

Thus began their slow walk away from the bar.

Bruce's chuckle grew into a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Anna and Ganryu said in unison.

"Nobody's gonna know or even suspect that three losers like us saved the world."

Anna nodded and shrugged without concern. "Yeah, but who cares? You get used to it. Would you really want all those reporters and journalist pestering you all the time?"

He shrugged too. "Guess you're right. It's best if nobody but us knows."

"So, where do we go from here, guys?" asked Ganryu as he trailed behind them.

Anna gave him a sideways glance. "Well, we're the heroes, right? We simply walk toward the sunset and disappear. In my case, I'll limp."

"But it's dark out…"

"Use your imagination!" She pushed him and laughed.

"Um…okay."

"As I said, we simply walk toward the sunset and disappear."

Using their imagination, they did so, as a trio, as friends, and as heroes…

* * *

_Author's Note_ Finally, another saga completed. However, things do not stop there. While I was doing this story, I developed plans for yet another sequel. I love the series so much I can't part with it. I hope you all enjoyed my story and will do the same for the sequel. I actually have some scenes for Fatal Instinct 3 typed out, so it won't take forever for me to submit it. 

As always, I would like to thank users such as Jc-1225, Reivax-MTG, Caliqula II, Akido-Kasshin-Ryu, heaven-monument, Indigo Siren, MistyInfinity, and Kapsule Corp for reading and enjoying the fic. Much appreciated.

_Gadgets and notes_

Anna's Kevlar body suit: For those of you familiar with Death by Degrees, this is the same suit except that it's been modified and equipped with spy weapons and gadgets. It contains a cooling system to keep Anna cool and moist when in hot areas. Same goes for it having a system to keep her warm though cold areas. It's not exactly perfect, as sometimes the system doesn't always work.

Gauntlets: Usually these are equivalent to Batman's gauntlets, offering protection around the arms. The gauntlets with the sticky foam projectile Anna used on Abel were untested and fabricated by Doctor Boskonovitch, Abel's rival. Since Abel only knew of the weapons she constantly carried, Anna believed he wouldn't suspect her of using an untested gadget against him. It wasn't even intended for Abel, not until he left her with no other alternative but to use it. In short, she took a gamble, which could have cost her her life if it had not worked.

Magnetic ring: A casual looking ring at first glance, but it's really a ring with a powerful magnetic attraction. Anna just simply has to aim it at the thing she wants to come to her.

Dr. Abel: Abel had made his body entirely robotic, wanting to rid himself entirely of being human and having human


End file.
